RELEASE: New World Screwworm Continues to Threaten Texas Ranchers as TX-23 Goes Without Representation

Austin, TX – Following two weeks of the New World screwworm threatening Texas ranchers and 62 days without federal representation in Texas’s 23rd Congressional District, Democratic nominee for Governor Gina Hinojosa is calling out Greg Abbott for leaving Texans without federal representation at a time of crisis.

Of the 11 New World screwworm cases in Texas, nine are located in Texas’s 23rd Congressional District. The district is home to over 515,000 cattle and calves, and produces close to $450 million in cattle and calf sales in Texas yearly.

“For two weeks now, ranchers have dealt with uncertainty caused by our Governor’s incompetence. The New World screwworm outbreak has impacted Texans all across the state, and the epicenter is currently without a voice in Congress to fight for them,” Hinojosa said. “This is a crisis for our ranchers, our food security, and Texas’s agricultural economy at large.”

“Texans deserve to have an advocate in Congress focused on getting answers, but Greg Abbott won’t set a special election because he’s once again playing politics with our livelihoods. Every day he delays, Texas ranchers are forced to navigate this crisis without an advocate in Congress.”

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