High egg prices weren’t Biden’s fault. They’re not Trump’s either, but they’re his problem now

The soaring price of eggs has alarmed consumers and the agriculture industry, and practically everyone in Washington is pointing fingers in various directions to direct blame.

t’s hard to lay America’s egg crisis at the feet of any one politician. But agricultural experts say politicians in Washington and around the country can do more to help curtail the highly pathogenic avian influenza, or avian flu, responsible for the deaths of more than 40 million egg-laying birds last year.

Because of short supply, egg prices rose 14% from November to December alone, and they are projected to rise another 20% this year, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

Grocery stores across the country are limiting egg purchases, Waffle House announced a 50-cent surcharge per egg, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the shutdown of all live poultry markets in the state through February 14 to try to contain the spread.

“This is significant. This is having a big impact on the farmer, on the consumer throughout the country. Everybody’s feeling this,” said Bernt Nelson, an economist at the American Farm Bureau Federation, or AFBF.