Trump administration sues California over egg prices

Yahoo

18 hours ago

The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against California, alleging that three state laws are contributing to the rising cost of eggs nationwide.
'The State of California has contributed to the historic rise in egg prices by imposing unnecessary red tape on the production of eggs," said the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in central California on July 9. "Through a combination of voter initiatives, legislative enactments, and regulations, California has effectively prevented farmers across the country from using a number of agricultural production methods which were in widespread use — and which helped keep eggs affordable."
The lawsuit takes aim at three California laws, Assembly Bill 1437, Proposition 2 and Proposition 12, which create welfare standards for farm animals and regulate egg production. The Trump administration argues that regulating eggs is within the federal government's domain under a 1970 federal law.
The administration also contends that the federal law overseeing egg quality and packaging preempts state laws that seek to impose additional requirements on egg production.
One California state law, AB 1437, regulates egg quality for human consumption. Prop 2 is a statewide ballot measure California voters passed in 2008 that created welfare mandates for farm animals such as egg-laying hens. The administration argues that the laws work in tandem to depress egg production and to increase prices.
A third state law mentioned in the suit, Prop. 12, was passed by voters in 2018, which brought forth specific minimum-space requirements for chickens and other farm animals.
Egg prices have been quite volatile this year, with increases of more than 40% due to factors including bird flu outbreaks, which were not mentioned in the Trump administration lawsuit.
The average cost for a dozen eggs nationwide was $2.56 per dozen, while in California, egg prices averaged around $3.38 per dozen on July 4, according to the United States Dairy Association (USDA) Markets Overview Report. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for egg prices in May showed up to a 41% increase compared to one year ago. The next release of the CPI, which includes egg prices, is scheduled for July 15.
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The lawsuit is the latest in a feud and war of words with the state of California and Gov. Gavin Newsom. The suit came on the same day the Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit against the California Department of Education, alleging that the state is violating anti-discrimination laws by allowing transgender athletes to compete in school sports.
The complaint, filed in federal court, alleges that California's current policies "eviscerate equal athletic opportunities for girls" by forcing them to "compete against boys" in state athletic events.
A Newsom spokesperson said the state is following a 2013 law and that no court has accepted the legal theory cited by the Trump administration in the suit.
In June, Newsom filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles. President Trump ordered the deployment of 2,000 Guard members to quell demonstrations and violent protests against his immigration crackdown, a move Newsom has called unlawful.
Newsom accused Trump of 'inciting and provoking violence,' 'creating mass chaos,' and 'militarizing cities,' and called the president's moves "the act of a dictator." The governor said the decision to sue the Trump administration was due to a "serious breach of state sovereignty" and demanded that the president "return control" to California.
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U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the egg regulation lawsuit against California is the latest Justice Department action seeking to protect American consumers from predatory commercial practices and regulatory burdens.
"Americans across the country have suffered the consequences of liberal policies causing massive inflation for everyday items like eggs," Bondi said in a news release announcing the lawsuit. "Under President Trump's leadership, we will use the full extent of federal law to ensure that American families are free from oppressive regulatory burdens and restore American prosperity."
Meanwhile, two animal rights groups have taken exception to the lawsuit.
California has prohibited the sale of cruelly produced eggs for more than a decade, a law that has been upheld by the courts, including the Supreme Court, said Sara Amundson, president of Humane World Action Fund.
"Blaming 2025 egg prices on these established animal welfare standards shows that this case is about pure politics, not constitutional law," Amundson said in a statement. 'The Trump-led Justice Department is now choosing to ignore voters in red, blue and purple states alike who have rejected the cruelty of confining hens in cages so small they can't even spread their wings. To call these commonsense animal welfare laws a 'regulatory burden' is not just dishonest, it's an insult to millions of Americans.'
Due to voter and consumer demand, more than 45% of the U.S. egg industry is already cage free, added Kitty Block, president and CEO of Humane World for Animals.
"Rather than accepting this reality, the Department of Justice is using our tax dollars to fight a battle that's already been settled," Block said in a statement. "This is a Justice Department misadventure that ignores the interests of the egg industry, retailers and consumers — all of whom have embraced the cage-free future. Avian influenza and other factors drove up egg prices, not animal welfare laws."
The lawsuit against California also names Newsom, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and other state officials as defendants.
Newsom's press office took a jab at the lawsuit in a July 9 post on the social media site X, claiming President Trump is "back to his favorite hobby: blaming California for literally everything."
"Next up: @CAGovernor Gavin Newsom caused the fall of Rome and sent the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs," the post added.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump administration suing California over egg prices