Trump sets 2028 targets for mosquito and tick control

What the order requires

President Donald Trump has directed federal agencies to develop and carry out a pest-control campaign across Washington, D.C. The order sets a 2028 goal of reducing Asian tiger mosquitoes, Egyptian mosquitoes and other invasive mosquito populations, where appropriate, by 90 percent. It also calls for a 50 percent reduction in ticks, with additional reductions when practical.

The campaign may use established measures, including removing standing water where mosquitoes breed and reducing populations of rodents and deer that host ticks. That means the order reaches rodents through their role in sustaining tick populations rather than setting a separate numerical target for rats.

Agencies must also consider sterilization, safe genetic modification and beneficial bacteria. The Environmental Protection Agency is directed to prioritize and quickly advance or register new mosquito and tick controls that the agency finds safe and effective.

Where gene drives fit

The order could create a regulatory route for new genetic pest-control methods, but it does not specifically authorize gene drives. A gene drive is designed to make a chosen trait pass to nearly all offspring, rather than following the usual roughly even chance of inheritance.

One proposed use would alter male mosquitoes so their offspring inherit a trait that is lethal to female larvae. Because female mosquitoes bite, reducing the number that survive could suppress a population. Researchers have also considered genetic approaches aimed at ticks, rodents or disease-resistant mice.

Other biological controls are already part of the policy discussion. Releasing sterile male mosquitoes, or males carrying Wolbachia bacteria, can reduce reproduction when they mate with wild females. Any novel product would still depend on an EPA finding that it is safe and effective before registration or deployment under the order.