Order of importance for election issues.
1. Inflation
2. Inflation
3. Immigration
4 Grocery prices. (See #1)
Truflation down to 1.35% today
https://truflation.com/
Thank you Donald John Trump!
Grocery cost question
- Thread starter firegiver
- Start date
1. Inflation
2. Inflation
3. Immigration
4 Grocery prices. (See #1)
Truflation down to 1.35% today
https://truflation.com/
Thank you Donald John Trump!
Upon entering office in January 2025, President Donald Trump faced significant pressure to address rising egg prices, which had become a focal point of his campaign promises to lower grocery costs. The surge in egg prices was largely driven by an ongoing avian flu outbreak that had decimated poultry flocks since 2022, coupled with inflationary pressures. In response, the Trump administration implemented several policies aimed at reducing egg prices, primarily through a $1 billion plan announced by Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins in late February 2025. Below is an overview of the key policies enacted:
- Enhanced Biosecurity Measures: The administration allocated up to $500 million to strengthen biosecurity at egg-laying facilities. This involved expanding a pilot program from the Biden era, the Wildlife Biosecurity Assessments, which sent USDA staff to poultry farms to identify and mitigate risks of wild bird infiltration—the primary vector for avian flu. The program, previously tested in states like Iowa and Minnesota, was scaled up to cover more farms, with mandatory biosecurity audits for farms experiencing outbreaks and subsidies covering up to 75% of improvement costs. The goal was to reduce flock losses and stabilize egg supply over time.
- Increased Egg Imports: To address immediate supply shortages, the USDA facilitated imports of approximately 10 million eggs (about 827,000 dozen) from Mexico and Turkey. This policy aimed to offset domestic production losses caused by the culling of over 127 million egg-laying birds since 2022, providing short-term relief to wholesale egg prices while domestic flocks recovered.
- Deregulation for Poultry Producers: The administration pushed to reduce regulatory burdens on poultry farmers, including easing restrictions on backyard chicken ownership and small-scale producers. While this was intended to boost local egg production, experts noted that such measures were unlikely to significantly impact national supply due to minimal enforcement of existing rules and the vulnerability of backyard flocks to avian flu.
- Support for Flock Repopulation: The USDA adjusted its indemnification program to encourage faster reporting and repopulation of affected farms. Previously, farmers faced financial losses during the lag time between culling and restocking due to strict containment policies. The Trump administration aimed to streamline this process, though specific changes to payout structures were not fully detailed by early April 2025.
- Exploration of Vaccines: The plan included funding for research into avian flu vaccines, a shift from the traditional culling-only approach. While no vaccines were approved for widespread use by April 2025, the administration signaled interest in this long-term strategy to reduce flock losses, despite industry concerns about export restrictions and the impracticality of vaccinating individual birds.
By March 2025, wholesale egg prices had begun to decline, dropping from a peak of over $8 per dozen in February to around $3.27 per dozen by late March, according to USDA reports. The administration touted this as a success, with claims of a nearly 50-60% reduction since Trump took office. However, retail prices remained high—averaging $5.90 per dozen in early 2025—due to a lag between wholesale and consumer pricing, as grocers adjusted to prior losses and anticipated holiday demand (e.g., Easter and Passover in mid-April). The decline in wholesale prices was attributed to a combination of reduced avian flu cases, lower consumer demand due to high prices, and the influx of imported eggs, rather than solely the administration’s actions.
Critics, including some Democrats and economists, argued that these policies were not revolutionary, building on existing frameworks like Biden’s biosecurity efforts, and that broader economic factors—such as Trump’s proposed tariffs and deportation plans—could counteract price reductions by increasing production costs. Nonetheless, the administration’s focus on biosecurity and imports provided tangible steps toward stabilizing the egg market in its early months.
These policies reflect Trump’s initial approach to tackling egg prices upon entering office, though their full effect on retail costs and long-term supply remains unfolding as of April 3, 2025.
Ouch, looks like groceries overall are going the opposite of down to me.
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