DOGE probably didn’t help matters but the problem started to rise in 2023. My gut reaction was “damn that DOGE!” too but they didn’t start with cuts until 2025. So it likely just exasperated an already growing concern. This is the same kind of stuff anti-vaxers don’t get. We left South America out of the equation so when the circumstances of migration and feeding changed so did the status quo of a “screwworm free” line in the sand. Other peoples problems can quickly become everyone’s problem if left unchecked.
replyI'm not saying it was DOGE--the article introduces a host of other causes--but I think both DOGE and those other causes deserved a lot more airtime than they got; what caused the problem is relatively briefly handled, but what actually went wrong is a key part of the story.
replyThat's worse though. Cutting a program that had been successful for decades is short sighted, but people tend to begin focusing on the cost of prevention after so long. Memories fade and the question starts to become, "Why are we still spending so much?"
replyThat's not what happened. DOGE carelessly cut a program in the middle of fighting a crisis.