What About the Eggs, Donald?

According to a new Department of Agriculture report, egg prices are projected to swell by 41.1% this year due to a bird flu outbreak that continues to devastate flocks. The agency also predicted all food prices would rise 3.4% in 2025. This updated prediction is so alarming because it’s more than double the department’s forecast from just one month ago. As the Daily Kos reported earlier this month, a previous USDA prediction estimated that egg prices could rise by “as much as 20% this year.”

The federal agency noted that retail egg prices were already climbing. In January, retail egg prices surged by 13.8%, following an 8.4% price increase in December.  “Retail egg prices continue to experience volatile month-to-month changes due to an outbreak of [highly pathogenic avian influenza] that began in 2022,” the department said in its report. “HPAI contributes to elevated egg prices by reducing egg-layer flocks and egg production.”

The bird flu outbreak already has some restaurants feeling the pinch. Earlier this month,breakfast chain Waffle House announced a 50-cent surcharge per egg. In addition, major grocery chains like Costco and Trader Joe’s are limiting the number of cartons that customers can buy.

Convicted felon Donald Trump’s administration has unsuccessfully tried to deflect blame for rising prices. At one point, Trump even claimed inflation is “back” but wasn’t his fault. Recently, he spoke about rising egg prices in a strangely distant manner.    “Eggs are a disaster,” he said. “The secretary of agriculture is gonna be showing you a chart that's actually mind-boggling, what's happened, how low they were with us and how high they are now.”

Trump and the GOP focused on rising prices during the campaign, but lowering prices hasn’t been a priority for the party since Trump took office. Instead, the GOP has been hard at work dismantling and defunding the health agencies that could help address the impacts of bird flu. And they’re finding the time to ensure billionaires get even more federal tax breaks.