The Trump administration has declared Egypt… no, wait—correcting that: The Trump administration has declared Egyptian mosquitoes a new type of foreign invader in the nation’s capital. In an executive order Tuesday, the White House directed federal agencies to reduce invasive mosquito populations by 90% and tick numbers by 50% within two years through unprecedented measures.
The order mandates actions from the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the General Services Administration—working with the Department of Health and Human Services—to target breeding grounds on federal land and control deer and rodent populations that spread ticks. Agencies are also instructed to explore sterilization techniques, genetic modification, and beneficial bacteria as part of a strategy aligned with a May 2025 directive on biological research security.
Singapore’s success with Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes—where lab-bred males carrying the bacterium reduced mosquito populations by nearly 85% and dengue fever exposure by 70% since 2018—has informed the D.C.-area initiative. Private companies in the metropolitan region have already released 600,000 Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes in 2026 under Bee Safe Mosquito Control, while Google’s Debug Project has sought EPA approval for similar pesticide experiments.
Funds totaling nearly $3 million from Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services have been allocated to test acaricide baits targeting deer and rodents—a pilot program designed to evaluate large-scale wildlife interventions against ticks. CDC Division of Vector-Borne Diseases Director Lyle Petersen stated the goal is “to reduce the number of ticks to stop tick bites and tickborne diseases.”
Agencies must finalize implementation plans by late November, pending federal appropriations. The Environmental Protection Agency, General Services Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Departments of Interior and Agriculture, and other relevant entities have yet to provide public comment on the order’s rollout.
