Texas Gov. Greg Abbott just did something Washington almost never does anymore, he acted before a crisis instead of after one. Abbott issued a statewide disaster declaration to prepare Texas for the potential spread of the New World screwworm, a parasite that has been creeping north from Mexico and poses a serious threat to livestock, wildlife, and the state’s massive cattle industry.
The key detail the panic merchants will skip right over is this, the screwworm is not currently in Texas or anywhere else in the United States. Abbott made that clear. But it has been confirmed just south of the border, and history shows what happens when governments wait until an infestation is already out of control. Abbott chose prevention over press releases.
The New World screwworm is not some abstract bureaucratic concern. It is a flesh-eating parasite that targets warm-blooded animals. When the larvae burrow into living tissue, they cause severe and often fatal damage. The Department of Agriculture has warned that it threatens livestock, pets, wildlife, and in rare cases even people. Texas agriculture officials estimate the risk to a cattle industry worth roughly $15 billion. That is not a rounding error.
Abbott’s declaration allows Texas to mobilize resources immediately. He directed the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Animal Health Commission to form a joint response team. He also partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Secretary Brooke Rollins to establish a $750 million Domestic Sterile New World Screwworm Production Facility in Edinburg. That facility is designed to stop the pest through sterile insect techniques, a method that helped eradicate the screwworm from the U.S. decades ago.
The Centers for Disease Control has also been involved, issuing health advisories and working with state and local officials to prepare for potential cases. This is what serious coordination looks like, not finger pointing, not social media hashtags, and not waiting until ranchers are already burying livestock.
So how should this be interpreted? As competent leadership and a reminder of what federalism is supposed to look like. Abbott is not declaring an emergency to grab headlines or power. He is using existing legal authority to prevent economic devastation and protect food security. Contrast that with how often we see officials freeze, delay, or deny until damage is unavoidable.
There is also a border reality here that nobody wants to say out loud. The threat is coming from Mexico. That does not make it political rhetoric, it makes it geography. Pests, diseases, and parasites do not stop at ports of entry, and pretending otherwise is how disasters happen.
Abbott’s move sends a simple message. Texas is not waiting for permission to protect itself. It is acting early, decisively, and with an understanding that prevention is cheaper than cleanup. In a world of constant manufactured emergencies, this is what a real one being handled responsibly actually looks like.
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