U.S. Department of Agriculture

Eight cases have now been confirmed in Texas as officials expand surveillance efforts, release millions of sterile flies and mobilize resources to stop the flesh-eating parasite from spreading.

State officials and researchers warned Texas lawmakers in May that New World screwworm was advancing toward the state and could carry a billion-dollar economic toll.

Federal officials say rapid reporting is critical to stopping the flesh-eating parasite from becoming established in Texas. Miller suggested some ranchers may hesitate to report cases because of quarantine restrictions.

Two more cases of the New World screwworm have been confirmed in Texas, demonstrating the difficulty of stopping the spread of a pest that potentially could devastate the nation’s cattle industry.

Officials are increasing trapping efforts, establishing quarantine zones and releasing millions of sterile flies after New World screwworm was confirmed in South Texas.

The federal funding package to reopen the government included a one-year extension of certain 2018 Farm Bill programs. Several expired Sept. 30 or would have been null by the end of the year.

Food assistance benefits were cut off in November due to the government shutdown. That's led a handful of state agencies to post messages blaming Republicans or Democrats for the shutdown on official websites.

About 1 in 8 U.S. residents get an average of $187 a month per person in the food assistance known as SNAP. For the first time, the Trump administration stopped the payments due at the beginning of the month.

The case was identified in Sabinas Hidalgo in the Mexican border state of Nuevo León, less than 70 miles from the Texas-Mexico border.

Texas’ governor joins other Republican governors making similar requests to ban purchases of candy and soda through the SNAP program.

Rollins, who grew up in Glen Rose and once led the Texas Public Policy Foundation, will need Senate confirmation before becoming agriculture secretary.

The Tarrant Area Food Bank and Feeding Texas say a farm bill that goes in front of the U.S. House today unfairly limits increases in SNAP benefits.