Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Tuesday that the New World screwworm is just miles from the southern border as concerns build about the Trump administration’s response to the parasitic pest.

The screwworm was 187 miles from the Texas border in February. It is now 25 miles from the Texas border, Rollins said in an update on the parasite, which could pose a sweeping threat to the state’s multibillion-dollar livestock industry. Her remarks came as Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) emphasized fears in Texas that the Department of Agriculture’s response to the crisis is lacking, with nearly $2 billion in damage to the state’s economy at stake.

Recommended Stories

Texas prepares for looming screwworm outbreak: ‘There’s not a magic bullet’

New World Screwworm: What to know about the parasite threatening the food supply

We beat screwworm once before. The tool sitting on the shelf could do it again