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By Giulia Carbonaro
Senior Reporter
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The Trump administration has sued California over its animal cruelty laws, saying the state's regulation of chicken farms has led to high egg prices across the country.
Lowering the cost of eggs, which spiked in recent years as an avian flu outbreak ravaged American flocks, was one of President Donald Trump's key campaign promises in the lead-up to the 2024 election.
But almost six months into his second mandate, his administration has struggled to keep the cost of the staple down. The administration now says California's regulations create "unnecessary red tape" in the production of eggs and are responsible for stubbornly high prices.
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The lawsuit is the latest flash point in the ongoing battle between the U.S. president and the Democratic-led state, which has clashed with the Trump administration over its aggressive immigration policies and transgender rights.
"Trump's back to his favorite hobby: blaming California for literally everything," the office of California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote on X, formerly Twitter, about the lawsuit. "Next up: @CAGovernor Gavin Newsom caused the fall of Rome and sent the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs!"
What Is the Lawsuit About?
The lawsuit, which the Trump administration filed in Los Angeles federal court, blamed the Golden State's animal cruelty laws—widely regarded as among the strictest and most progressive in the nation—for creating the conditions that led to the current spike in egg prices across the country.
The laws, the Trump administration argued, have prevented "farmers across the country from using a number of agricultural production methods which were in widespread use—and which helped keep eggs affordable."
Under Proposition 2, an initiative approved by California voters in 2008 and implemented in 2015, the state forbids farmers from packing chickens together so close that a hen cannot "lie down, stand up, fully extend its limbs, and turn around freely."
Essentially, the state bans the use of chicken battery farms, a method of intensive egg production where hens are stacked in rows and rows of tiny cages, which restrict their natural movements and can cause the animals high levels of stress and frustration.
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Proposition 12, an initiative backed by California voters in 2018 and implemented in January 2022, outlawed the use of cages for egg-laying hens, sows and calves raised for veal, giving specific requirements of how much space farmers must give to their animals. Crucially, it also banned the in-state sale of products from caged animals raised out of state.
The Trump administration's lawsuit argued that the federal Egg Products Inspection Act of 1970 should preempt any California state laws related to eggs. This law, the lawsuit says, gives the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services the authority to regulate eggs to protect consumers' health and welfare, and it requires "national uniformity" in egg safety standards.
"It is the prerogative of the federal government alone to regulate the quality, inspection, and packaging of eggs," the Justice Department wrote in its civil complaint.
"Americans across the country have suffered the consequences of liberal policies causing massive inflation for everyday items like eggs," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. "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."
It is not the first time that California's animal cruelty laws have been challenged in court. In 2014, six states—Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Alabama, Kentucky and Iowa—sued California over its egg regulations. The states lost both in a federal district court and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Other states—including Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon and Washington—have laws requiring eggs sold in the state to be from cage-free hens. In February, Nevada temporarily relaxed its cage-free requirements because of the shortages, but the rules were restored in June.
How High Are Egg Prices?
According to the latest consumer price index, egg prices nationwide averaged $4.55 per dozen in May—up from $2.69 a year earlier, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The main reason behind higher egg prices is that supply has shrunk as a direct consequence of the avian flu that broke out in the country in February 2022 and has since wreaked havoc among American flocks. Under federal policy, to prevent the spread of the virus, entire flocks must be culled if even a single infected bird is found on a farm.
Cage-free hens proved to be particularly vulnerable to the virus. In 2024, according to NerdWallet, cage-free hens represented almost 60 percent of all bird flu cases for the year, even as they accounted for about a third of egg-laying hens in the U.S.
In January, the White House blamed the Biden administration for killing more than 100 million birds, most of which were egg-laying hens.
The Trump administration's lawsuit against California does not mention the avian flu that has laid waste across the U.S. egg industry and led to the culling of millions of birds across the country over the past few years.
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