EPA Issues Fact Check Stating That It Has Not Authorized The Release Of Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a “Fact Check” on May 27, 2026, to “set the record straight” regarding recent claims circulating online that EPA has recently authorized the release of genetically engineered (GE) mosquitoes. EPA states that “[t]hese claims are false.” EPA provides the following facts:

• A previously issued Experimental Use Permit (EUP) expired in 2024;

• No releases are currently authorized in the United States; and

• EPA is not aware of any releases in the United States following the expiration of the EUP.

EPA notes that “[a]ny unauthorized release would constitute a violation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and would be subject to enforcement action.”