U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins (center) poses for a photo with Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blaine Arthur (left) and Texas Secretary of Agriculture Sid Miller (right) after a press conference to discuss the New World screwworm response at the Texas State Capitol on Friday, August 15, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
Rodolfo Gonzalez | AP
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Monday called Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller “disingenuous” after criticizing the department’s response to the growing threat of the carnivorous New World spinach insect.
Miller, who lost his bid for a fourth term in the March Republican primary despite receiving support from President Donald Trump, has repeatedly criticized the Department of Agriculture’s response to the detection of the parasite in Texas last week. He argued that federal authorities acted too slowly to contain the pests and ignored the response mechanisms he promoted.
At a Monday news conference in Texas about the USDA response, Rollins was asked about Miller’s recent claim that ranchers won’t report cases on their farms for fear the government will impose quarantines.
“That’s a very unserious comment, coming from an unserious agriculture commissioner who probably only has a few months left,” she said of Miller. “It’s also a very dangerous proposition.”
The rift between Mr. Rollins and Mr. Miller has effectively pitted agricultural leaders across the country and in states currently affected by the outbreak. And it comes as the Trump administration rushes to contain the screwworm, which threatens to decimate already weakened herds and drive beef prices even higher.
Rollins, also a Texan, appeared on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” earlier Monday and slammed Miller.
“The Texas Agriculture Commissioner’s comments are very disappointing. I’ve known him for a long time,” Rollins said. “He lost the primary as an incumbent a few months ago, but he’s had a lot of crazy ideas for a long time.”
The altercation is underscored by the fact that Miller, a former rodeo cowboy who was once considered as a cabinet candidate in the Trump administration, was endorsed by Trump just a few months ago before losing in the primary to Nate Sheets, who was endorsed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Miller, a longtime Trump surrogate who once threatened to go after “RINOs” (an abbreviation for “Republicans in Name Only”) who “slipped” the 2024 election, is an unusual rebuke of the Trump administration from a close ally.
In endorsing Miller, President Trump said he is a “MAGA warrior who has been with me from the beginning.”
Mr. Miller’s feud with the USDA over screwworms began shortly after the first cases were discovered last Wednesday. In a lengthy statement, he said Rollins and his department’s efforts were “too slow and relied on only partial solutions that would take years to fully implement.”
He called on the Department of Agriculture to implement the Screwworm Adult Suppression System (SWASS), which combines insecticides and sterile flies developed in the 1970s. USDA is currently deploying sterile flies.
Miller appealed directly to President Trump, asking him to “take direct control of this response” and “immediately deploy SWASS and commit all available federal resources to this threat before it becomes a full-scale agricultural disaster.”
Texas Agriculture Secretary Sid Miller poses for a photo at the Celebrating Implementation of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans event at Health and Human Services Headquarters on February 11, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images
The USDA urges cattle producers who discover screwworms to report them immediately. The Department of Agriculture is working hard to contain the pest, as it can be fatal to cattle if left untreated. This pest is spread through flies that lay eggs in the wounds of animals. The eggs hatch into larvae, which then feed on the flesh of the affected animal.
Infestations are treatable if detected early enough, and the pest was eradicated from the United States in the 1960s. It does not pose a threat to food safety.
USDA is currently implementing screwworm control strategies similar to those used to eradicate the pest in the past. This includes isolation zones, enhanced trapping, surveillance and support operations. The USDA also releases sterile flies in the area that mate with female flies, produce unfertilized eggs, and kill parasites.
The USDA is rushing to expand production of sterile flies, and Rollins told CNBC that the agency is working on screwworm control at “Trump speed.” This includes breaking ground on a new facility to produce sterile flies and opening a new spraying facility earlier this year.
