Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Eliminates Disease-Carrying Pests and Restores Enjoyment of The Great Outdoors

ELIMINATING INVASIVE TICKS AND MOSQUITOES: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to eliminate invasive ticks and mosquitoes in the Federal jurisdiction of Washington, D.C. through safe and effective, non-chemical, and technology-enabled methods, and invest in pioneering approaches to eliminate these pests throughout the country.

• The Order directs the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Administrator of General Services, along with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to develop and implement a campaign across Washington, D.C. to reduce invasive mosquito populations by 90 percent and the tick population by 50 percent by 2028 using safe and effective, non-chemical, and innovative technology-enabled methods. 
  • The campaign should remediate tick and mosquito breeding grounds on lands subject to Federal jurisdiction throughout D.C. using commonsense and technical approaches.
  • The campaign will also prioritize the use of commercial capabilities or cooperative agreements to reduce the population of disease-carrying pests in D.C.
• The Order directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to submit a regulatory framework for the planned development and release of advanced, safe, and effective tick and mosquito control technologies.
• The Order directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to build on the existing Lyme Disease Moonshot initiative through prize competition announcements and additional research and development programs to prevent and treat tick- and mosquito-borne diseases.
• The Order also directs the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to issue additional prize competition announcements or direct research programs for the development of non-chemical means to reduce tick- and mosquito-borne diseases.
• The Order directs the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to explore options for labeling food and drug products that include significant amounts of alpha-galactose, similar to other allergy warnings.

SAFEGUARDING AMERICANS’ HEALTH AND DEMONSTRATING INNOVATIVE PEST CONTROL: President Trump is addressing the invasive tick and mosquito populations that spread debilitating diseases across America. 

• Foreign, invasive mosquitoes are multiplying across the United States and have become the dominant species in some areas, including Washington, D.C.—spreading disease and diminishing quality of life.
  • The expanding tick populations in the country expose Americans, our pets, and our livestock to debilitating and expensive health risks.  
• 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.
• Alpha-gal syndrome, a serious allergy to red meat that can develop after a tick bite, is increasingly common in America due to the spread of ticks to new areas of the United States.  
• This new model, localized to Washington, D.C., can later be applied nationwide as targeted, innovative, non-chemical pest control for the whole nation.
• Americans should be able to enjoy the beauty and health of Our Nation’s Capital without the threat of widespread invasive ticks and mosquito populations. President Trump is Making D.C. Safe and Beautiful Again.

MAKING AMERICA HEALTHY, SAFE, AND BEAUTIFUL: President Trump is committed to Making America Healthy Again and leading the world in Gold Standard Science, with multiple initiatives emanating out of Washington, D.C. 

• In February 2025, President Trump created the Make America Healthy Again Commission to tackle the rise of chronic illness.
• In March 2025, President Trump established the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force to make Washington, D.C. what it should be—the pride of every American to whom it belongs. In August 2025, the President declared a crime emergency in Washington, D.C. 
  • Just over a year later, thousands of criminals have been removed from the streets, homeless encampments are cleared, parks are reclaimed, and crime has plummeted.
  • This model has been replicated across the country in cities such as Memphis, TN, and violent crime nationwide is down to historic lows not seen in decades.
• In July 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order establishing the Make America Beautiful Again (MABA) Commission to ensure that our Nation’s next 250 years are beautiful, successful, and secure. 
• President Trump signed multiple Executive Orders that improved the safety and security of biological research, ended dangerous gain-of-function research, restored Gold Standard Science as the cornerstone of Federal scientific research, and rebuilt public trust in science.