Mike the Mad Biologist

Because USAID didn’t fund abortion, as Republicans claim, but it did fund screwworm prevention programs (boldface mine):

The 5,300 grants and programs killed in the Trump administration’s cuts to the U.S. Agency of International Development include U.S.-funded animal disease monitoring projects operated by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

A list of terminated programs sent to Congress this week and obtained by Agri-Pulse includes $250 million that went to projects housed under the FAO’s Global Health Security Program.

Among the GHS projects killed were some dedicated to monitoring and containing avian flu and New World Screwworm in Central America, monitoring avian flu outbreaks in Asia and improving the detection of new strains, and efforts to combat swine fever, according to a person familiar with the situation granted anonymity to speak frankly.

…The FAO received stop work orders for the programs in late January, which were followed up by termination orders around a month later, a person familiar with the situation said.

The stop work orders went out just days before the United States ended a temporary suspension of cattle imports from Mexico and as officials were working to implement protocols to prevent the spread of New World Screwworm to U.S. herds. Livestock trade across the southern border resumed Feb. 1 with animal inspection and treatment requirements before export.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is now reporting three five cases of screwworm, several of which are 200-400 miles away from the other cases (two are in adjacent counties). That might–note the word might–mean there are more cases of screwworm that we are missing.

Heckuva job, Musky.