HR-7466-119
Subcommittee Hearings Held
Sponsored by Ronny Jackson (R-TX)
What it does
This bill would require the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to sign a memorandum of understanding within 180 days to coordinate surveillance, control, and eradication of New World screwworm in wildlife and non-livestock animals on federal lands managed by the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, or Forest Service. It also requires annual joint reports to Congress on coordination progress, outbreak incidents, and recommendations until the pest is certified quarantined south of the Darien Gap in Panama.
Who benefits
Cattle ranchers and the domestic livestock industry, who face reduced risk of screwworm spreading from wildlife into herds; wildlife populations on federal lands that would receive earlier disease detection; state wildlife and livestock health agencies that would gain a clearer federal coordination partner; consumers who rely on a stable domestic beef and food supply.
Who is hurt
No group appears to be directly burdened by this bill, though federal land management agencies would bear modest new administrative and reporting workloads, and USDA/Interior staff would need to allocate time and resources to interagency coordination that might otherwise go to other priorities.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that New World screwworm is a serious threat to livestock and wildlife that has resurged in Central America and Mexico, and that fragmented federal jurisdiction over public lands has historically slowed coordinated pest response. They contend that a formal interagency agreement with mandatory reporting would ensure USDA and Interior act quickly and transparently to protect the food supply and agricultural economy before an outbreak reaches U.S. herds.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that agencies already have general authority and incentive to coordinate on animal disease threats, and that mandating a specific memorandum of understanding and annual reporting requirement may create redundant bureaucracy without additional funding or enforcement tools to back it up. They contend that Congress could better address the threat by directly funding surveillance and eradication programs rather than imposing a procedural coordination mandate.
Constitutional context
This bill directs executive branch coordination between two existing cabinet departments and does not raise a significant constitutional question; it falls within Congress's authority under the Necessary and Proper Clause to structure how federal agencies execute laws related to interstate commerce in agriculture.
Checks and balances
Congress directs the executive branch (USDA and Interior) to formalize coordination and report back annually, preserving legislative oversight without shifting substantive rulemaking authority to either agency.
Historical precedent
Congress has previously directed interagency coordination on animal and plant pest threats, such as the Animal Health Protection Act framework, though no directly identical screwworm-specific memorandum requirement is evident.