DC Pest Control Order

Trump Orders Federal Agencies to Significantly Reduce Washington Mosquito and Tick Populations

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing the Department of Energy, the Interior, Agriculture, and the General Services Administration to reduce Washington's invasive mosquito populations by at least 90% and its tick population by at minimum 50%. The order also includes a push for EPA to fast-track approvals for bioengineering projects in Washington. The agency is tasked with developing a regulatory framework that considers "sterilization techniques, safe genetic modification, and use of safe, beneficial bacteria." The order authorizes Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr to launch a competition to develop new treatments for tick- and mosquito-borne diseases as part of his "Lyme Disease Moonshot" initiative.