A carton of eggs rests inside a shopping cart at a grocery store in Windham, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The Trump administration has filed a federal lawsuit against California, challenging state laws that require all eggs sold within the state to come from cage-free hens. According to the administration, these regulations have contributed to the dramatic rise in egg prices across the country and infringe on the constitutional rights of other states.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in California, targets two voter-approved measures—Proposition 2 from 2008 and Proposition 12 from 2018. Both mandate that egg-laying hens must be raised in cage-free environments if their eggs are sold in California. Given California’s significant influence on national food markets, the federal government argues these laws are creating unnecessary production costs for farmers outside the state.
U.S. Agriculture official Brooke Rollins supported the move, stating that while California has the right to regulate itself, it oversteps by forcing national changes that burden other states. “President Trump is stepping in to challenge this overreach,” Rollins said.
However, supporters of the animal welfare laws argue that the real culprit behind the soaring egg prices isn't regulation—it’s bird flu. Since early 2022, nearly 175 million birds have been culled across the U.S. due to avian influenza outbreaks. Prices have recently dropped as the virus tends to decline during summer months. For example, a dozen Grade A eggs cost $5.12 in April and fell to $4.55 in May, still significantly higher than a year prior.
The California Department of Justice responded sharply, calling the lawsuit politically motivated. “Blaming California won't fix the problem. These price hikes are the result of national economic policies, not state-level animal protections,” the department said. Governor Gavin Newsom’s office echoed this sentiment, mocking the lawsuit on social media by saying, “Trump’s back to blaming California for everything.”
The Trump administration’s complaint contends that the egg regulations are unconstitutional and that regulating egg production should be a federal responsibility. The goal of the lawsuit is to permanently stop the enforcement of California's cage-free rules.
Pam Bondi, representing the administration, claimed that liberal policies have made everyday items like eggs more expensive. “President Trump is determined to remove regulatory roadblocks and help American families,” she stated.
Although Proposition 12 also included rules for pork and veal, the lawsuit strictly targets eggs. The Humane World for Animals, formerly known as the Humane Society of the United States, disagrees with the administration’s stance. The group says the egg industry has shifted to cage-free systems largely due to consumer demand, not legal mandates.
“California’s cage-free egg law has been in place for over a decade and has survived every legal challenge, even at the Supreme Court,” said Sara Amundson, president of the Humane World Action Fund. “Blaming current prices on these laws is purely political.”
Meanwhile, the American Egg Board has pledged to comply with state regulations while monitoring the legal battle. They emphasized that farmers are working hard to adapt to consumer needs while managing ongoing issues, such as bird flu.
