The Trump administration wants to crack down on pests in D.C. — mosquitoes and ticks.
In an executive order Tuesday, President Donald Trump directed federal agencies to work with local officials to reduce the District’s mosquito population by 90% and cut its tick population in half by 2028.
The order directs federal health and environmental officials to submit a plan to Trump within the next two months to develop and release advanced tick and mosquito control technologies on federal property in D.C. That could include “safe genetic modification” and the use of “safe, beneficial bacteria” as well as cleaning tick and mosquito breeding grounds.
“Historical approaches have relied primarily on the use of conventional pesticides,” the order said, “however, the use of commonsense, non-chemical, technology-enabled measures can significantly reduce the negative effects of these pests, enhancing enjoyment of the great outdoors for all Americans.”
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At the start of tick season in April, the Northeast experienced the highest weekly rates of ER visits for tick bites since 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At-large D.C. Council member Christina Henderson said in a post on X on Wednesday that the order is “random and yet timely,” as she has had meetings in the past month about mosquitoes, standing water and the need for treatment strategies in the District.
D.C. Health is in charge of mosquito mitigation across D.C., such as treating standing water in public spaces, but not private properties. Capitol Hill residents formed the Itty Bitty Mosquito Population Committee in March in an effort to lower the number of mosquitoes in the neighborhood, The 51st reported.
Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office referred a request for comment to D.C. Health. D.C. Health did not respond to a request for comment before publication.
D.C. Health told The Washington Sun in a statement Wednesday evening that it is open to collaborating with federal agencies.
“Our monitoring and prevention activities continue throughout the year, and we remain open to collaboration with federal partners to strengthen mosquito and tick reduction efforts across the District,” the statement said.
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