Federal agencies must coordinate on livestock pest threat
H.R. 7466 — SAFE CATTLE Act · Filed by Ronny Jackson (R-TX) · 11 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 10, 2026 · Hearing held
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What it does
This bill requires the Department of Agriculture and Department of the Interior to coordinate on preventing and eradicating New World screwworm—a parasitic pest that infests livestock and wildlife—on federal lands. The two agencies must develop joint surveillance protocols, response procedures, and science-based eradication strategies, and report annually to Congress on progress until the pest is contained south of Panama.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is establishing interagency coordination and reporting on New World screwworm eradication on federal lands. It is a straightforward public-health and agricultural-protection measure with no hidden mechanisms or narrow beneficiaries.
What the text implies
- Mandatory annual reporting creates ongoing congressional oversight of federal pest-control efforts, potentially exposing gaps in interagency coordination or resource allocation.
- The bill's focus on 'covered lands' (federal property) may create a coordination gap for screwworm control on private agricultural land, which is not explicitly addressed.
- Requirement to 'facilitate continuity of business for non-infected animals' may implicitly pressure agencies to prioritize economic impact over ecological considerations in eradication decisions.
Who it affects
The bill addresses a genuine agricultural and public-health threat (New World screwworm can devastate livestock and food supply) by mandating interagency coordination and transparency. Citizens benefit from coordinated pest control, food-supply protection, and mandatory congressional reporting on progress.
Who stands to gain
- livestock producers and agricultural enterprises
- food supply chain operators
- agricultural insurance providers
Named in the bill
Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Forest Service, New World screwworm, Darien Gap
Where it stands
11 cosponsors: 8 Republicans, 3 Democrats.
- Feb 10, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Feb 10, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Agriculture and House Committee on Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period…”
- Jul 21, 2026 — Hearing held · Congress.gov: “Subcommittee Hearings Held”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the full bill text on Jul 2, 2026; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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