The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against California, claiming that three of the state’s laws are playing a direct role in increasing egg prices nationwide by introducing what it called unnecessary regulatory burdens.
According to the legal complaint, “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 focuses on three California statutes — AB 1437, Proposition 2, and Proposition 12 — and contends that the federal government, not individual states, holds the legal authority over egg regulation based on a law passed in 1970 that governs standards for eggs and related products.
The government argues that Proposition 2, approved by California voters in 2008 to implement animal welfare requirements, and AB 1437, which governs egg safety for consumers, are collectively reducing national egg output and pushing prices higher.
Proposition 12, which voters passed in 2018 to mandate minimum space for livestock and poultry, is also under fire in the suit as another measure harming egg availability.
Notably, the complaint does not address the recent avian flu outbreak earlier this year that decimated flocks and dramatically tightened egg supplies, sending prices soaring across the U.S.
The case was filed on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The list of defendants includes California Governor Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and various other state officials.
In response, the governor’s office mocked the lawsuit in a post on X, saying, “Trump’s 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 message added.

{Matzav.com}