Texas agriculture officials issued an urgent alert this week after confirming that a newly identified invasive pest is spreading quickly across more than 20 counties, threatening grazing lands, hay production and livestock operations across the state.

The insect, Helicococcus summervillei – known as the pasture mealybug – has never before been reported in North America. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said the pest is already causing visible damage in multiple regions. 

“This is a completely new pest to our continent, and Texas is once again on the front lines,” Miller said. “If the pasture mealybug spreads across Texas grazing lands like it has in eastern Australia, it could cost Texas agriculture dearly in lost productivity and reduced livestock capacity.”

The Texas Department of Agriculture says it is working with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to evaluate how far it is spreading and to determine the best emergency response strategy.

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The pasture mealybug was first described in Australia in 1928, according to AgriLife Extension publications, and was known to be responsible for millions of acres of lost pasture due to “pasture dieback.” The publication describes the condition as when the insect feeds at the soil level and within plant tissues, weakening and eventually killing grass essential for grazing and hay production.

While the species is believed to be new to North America, researchers suspect the insect has been present since before 2022.

So far, state and extension experts have documented the following 20 counties as being infected, with possibly more: Brazoria, Galveston, Wharton, Matagorda, Colorado, Austin, Washington, Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy, Refugio, Calhoun, Victoria, Goliad, Dewitt, Lavaca, Fayette, Jackson, Burleson, Brazos and Robertson.

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According to a Pest Incident Worksheet from AgriLife entomologists, the most significant pasture losses are in Victoria County.

It’s also noted that the most susceptible grasses to infestation are Bermudagrass, Bahia grass, Johnsongrass, haygrazer (sorghum–sudangrass), St. Augustine grass, bluestem varieties and other tropical or subtropical grasses.

Damage can be difficult to detect early because the insects feed low on the plant and beneath surface debris. Warning signs include yellowing within a week of infestation, purpling or reddening of leaves, stunting despite adequate moisture, weakening root systems and patchy areas of thinning or dead grass. The bugs appear as small white fuzzy clusters on grass or plant matter.

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As of now, there are no insecticides labeled for the control of the pest in the U.S.

Anyone who believes they are affected and notices symptoms or insect clusters resembling mealybugs is being asked to contact the Texas Department of Agriculture at 1-800-TELL-TDA. State and federal officials say ongoing reporting will be essential to mapping the pest’s spread and preventing widespread economic losses.

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“We need every producer’s eyes on the ground,” Miller emphasized.

TDA, AgriLife Extension and USDA APHIS are continuing to jointly investigate the pest and develop response strategies to safeguard Texas livestock and hay industries.

In the high-stakes battle over congressional redistricting, President Donald Trump suffered a stinging setback this week, days after the Supreme Court handed him a major victory.

After months of arm-twisting by the president, top allies and aligned groups, the GOP-dominated Indiana Senate on Thursday voted down a new map championed by Trump that would have created two more right-leaning congressional districts in the solidly red Midwestern state, where Republicans control seven of Indiana’s nine U.S. House seats. 

The showdown in Indiana came a week after the Supreme Court cleared the way for Republican-dominated Texas to use its newly redrawn map, which creates five more right-leaning House seats.

Indiana was the latest battleground in Trump’s aggressive national campaign to reshape congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterms, when Republicans, as the party in power, will likely face traditional political headwinds as they defend their razor-thin House majority.

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By championing rare but not unheard-of mid-decade redistricting, Trump is aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterm elections.

Democrats are pushing back, as they hope to negate the push by the president and his allies.

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Here’s a look at where things stand, and what’s next in the fierce fight over redrawing the maps.

Current balance of power

Republicans currently hold a 220-213 majority in the House, with two Democratic-held seats vacant.

But the number of GOP lawmakers in the chamber will drop to 219 early next month when Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a MAGA firebrand who had a falling out with the president, leaves.

A special election will be held on Jan. 31 to fill the seat left vacant when Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner of Texas died last March.

And a special election will be held on April 16 to fill the seat left vacant when Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill resigned last month after being elected New Jersey governor.

As of now, the Democrats need a net gain of three seats to win back the House majority in next year’s midterms.

Where things stand in redistricting wars

Six states have new congressional maps: California, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas, Ohio and Utah.

The Republican pickup of five seats in Texas is canceled out by the drawing of five more left-leaning seats in Democratic-dominated California.

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The GOP gains two more right-leaning seats in Ohio, and one each in Missouri and North Carolina. But a Utah district judge last month rejected a congressional district map drawn up by the state’s GOP-dominated legislature and instead approved an alternate that will create a Democratic-leaning district ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Do the math, and Republicans theoretically have a three-seat advantage right now in the redistricting wars.

But that’s far from written in stone.

Democratic opponents of redistricting in Missouri submitted thousands of petition signatures calling for a statewide referendum vote on the state’s new maps, which could put the GOP redistricting in jeopardy.

In Utah, Republicans are hoping an appeal will overturn the court-ordered map.

It’s far from certain that Democrats will sweep all five newly drawn left-leaning districts in California and that Republicans will do likewise in Texas. And Democrats in Ohio are confident they can still make a play for the two newly drawn districts that tilt further to the right.

What’s next

Republicans are looking to GOP-controlled Florida, where early redistricting moves are underway in Tallahassee. A new map could possibly produce up to five more right-leaning seats. But conservative Gov. Ron DeSantis and GOP legislative leaders don’t see eye-to-eye on how to move forward.

Democrats have their eyes on Virginia, where the Democratic Party holds majorities in both chambers of the legislature. A new map in the Commonwealth could produce up to four more left-leaning districts.

Other states that might step into the redistricting wars — Democratic-dominated Illinois and Maryland, and two red states with Democratic governors, Kentucky and Kansas.

The wildcard

Hovering over the redistricting wars is the Supreme Court, which is expected to rule in Louisiana v. Callais, a crucial case which may lead to the overturning of a key provision in the Voting Rights Act.

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If the ruling goes the way of the conservatives on the high court, it could lead to the redrawing of a slew of majority-minority districts across the county, which would greatly favor Republicans.

But it is very much up in the air — when the court will rule, and what it will actually do.

FIRST ON FOX: Texas Senate candidate Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, challenged House colleague Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, to a debate after Crockett entered the race earlier this week. 

Hunt, who faces incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a competitive Republican primary, was quick to challenge Crockett to a debate, saying that if the new contender agreed it would be “must-see TV.”

“Jasmine Crockett and I see two different Americas. She defines this country by victimhood. I define it by hard work, grit, and determination,” Hunt told Fox News Digital.

Sources close to the campaign told Fox News Digital that Crockett approached Hunt on Capitol Hill to discuss a potential debate. Hunt’s campaign team confirmed to Fox News Digital that this is the first conversation the two have ever had. 

“A Hunt vs. Crockett debate is must-see TV, and I welcome it,” Hunt added.

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Should Crockett or Hunt be elected to the Senate seat, it would be the first time a Black American has been elected to a state-wide office in the Lone Star State. The Texas Republican pointed this out, telling Fox that he cares more about being an American than he does a Black man.

“I’m the great-great-grandson of a slave,” Hunt told Fox. “Our family story is one of going from a plantation to West Point, combat, and the United States Congress. That’s the story of American progress.

“I’m proud to be Black, but I’m prouder to be an American, and a native Texan,” Hunt added. “I’m far more focused on being a father, a husband, a veteran, a servant leader, and a citizen than my skin color.”

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Crockett joining the field presents a unique situation for what has traditionally been a deep red state. Her congressional district encompasses a large portion of the Dallas metropolitan area, and her youthful energy and large social media presence differ from other Democratic contenders in the past. 

Hunt also boasts a large social media presence, with his team telling Fox that they have over 4.1 million followers across multiple platforms, including Instagram, X, Truth Social and others. 

Crockett has 2.5 million followers on Instagram and roughly 500,000 on X.

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The pair’s influencer-style approach to politics proved successful in winning their respective congressional seats, but securing victory over the Senate spot will be a challenge for both. 

Crockett’s ambition to flip the traditionally red state to the Democrats will be quite the uphill battle. Senator Tim Sott, R-S.C., who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Democrats getting behind Crockett indicated the party has been “overrun” by a far-left agenda. 

“I think it says something about who the Democrats are nationally, not just in Texas,” Scott told Fox News Digital earlier this week. “What it says is that they’ve been overrun by this radical left agenda that focuses on rhetoric, not reality.”

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Election day for the Texas primary is Mar. 3, 2026 and the general election is Nov. 3, 2026. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Crockett, but did not receive a response.

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston