In early 2025, the United States found itself facing a crisis of monumental proportions: an egg shortage that left shelves bare and prices soaring. The cost of a dozen eggs skyrocketed to an eye-watering $10, a price unimaginable just a few years ago.
While many factors contributed to the crisis, a significant portion of the blame has been placed squarely on the actions of President Joe Biden's administration, according to critics, particularly those aligned with former President Donald Trump's camp.
The egg crisis of 2025 was not an isolated incident but rather the culmination of several years of poor decisions, mishandling of agricultural policies, and a viral epidemic that devastated the poultry industry. However, it was the actions taken before the change in leadership from Donald Trump to Joe Biden that set the stage for the catastrophic shortages and price hikes that followed.
According to White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt, the peak of the chicken culling was recorded before Trump's inauguration on January 20, as Biden was preparing to assume office. In a fiery post on social media platform X, Leavitt claimed that the Biden administration's actions led to a situation that made eggs a "luxury" item for everyday Americans.
She wrote in all caps for emphasis, "The Biden Administration killed nearly 8 MILLION chickens ahead of President Trump's Inauguration, leading to supply shortages and higher prices."
Leavitt's claims revolve around the fact that, in the months leading up to Biden's inauguration, nearly 8 million chickens were culled due to a bird flu epidemic that struck in 2022. The virus had a devastating impact on poultry farms across the United States, resulting in the death of more than 130 million birds.
To contain the outbreak, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) ordered the mass culling of infected birds, which included laying hens that produced eggs. As a result, egg production plummeted, creating the perfect storm for the shortages that would later follow.
While the bird flu crisis was certainly a major factor in the egg shortage, critics of the Biden administration argue that the timing of the culling was particularly disastrous. According to Leavitt, the chickens were culled in the final months of the Trump administration, causing a significant drop in egg production right before Biden took office.
Leavitt further claimed that the egg crisis was entirely Biden's responsibility, but she also noted that President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Leslie Rollins were taking the necessary steps to address the situation and fix the problem.
Leavitt took to social media again, sharing a chart that demonstrated the rate of chicken culling before and after Trump's inauguration. The chart showed a sharp decline in the number of chickens culled following the transition of power, implying that the Trump administration had taken decisive steps to mitigate the damage caused by the bird flu crisis.
However, critics of the Biden administration argue that the failure to prevent such a catastrophe falls directly on the shoulders of the current president. They contend that Biden’s handling of the agricultural sector and his administration's response to the outbreak was inadequate.
Despite the efforts of the Trump administration to intervene, including requests made to European nations for egg exports to help alleviate the shortage, the U.S. was left scrambling for solutions. European countries, however, denied the request, citing their own egg supply issues as a result of the same avian flu pandemic.
The response to the crisis, or lack thereof, fueled further frustration among Americans who were already dealing with rising food prices and inflation. The price of eggs soared to unprecedented heights, with reports showing that some grocery store chains were charging up to $10 for a dozen eggs.
For many families, this price hike made eggs, a staple food for most households, an unaffordable luxury. The crisis had a ripple effect on other sectors as well, driving up the prices of egg-based products like baked goods, mayonnaise, and even some fast food items.
While President Biden has largely stayed quiet on the matter, the blame placed on his administration by critics has become a significant talking point in the political sphere. Many have pointed to the government’s failure to quickly respond to the crisis and its inability to prevent the disaster from escalating as key reasons for the egg shortage.
Furthermore, the lack of clarity surrounding how the culling was handled and the slow rollout of recovery efforts have led many to question whether the administration was truly equipped to deal with such a large-scale agricultural disaster.
For the general public, the shortage was not just about rising prices—it was also about the deepening sense of frustration with the government's handling of the crisis. Grocery store aisles that were once lined with dozens of egg cartons became barren.
In some areas, stores had to impose limits on the number of eggs customers could purchase, making the experience even more frustrating for those who relied on eggs for their daily meals. These shortages were compounded by the larger inflationary pressures that had already been affecting American households, leading to increased stress for families already struggling to make ends meet.
It’s clear that the egg crisis was the result of multiple factors, but the handling of the situation by the Biden administration has come under intense scrutiny. The timing of the mass culling of chickens, the subsequent price hikes, and the shortage of eggs in stores have left Americans wondering why the government did not act sooner to prevent such a disaster.
With millions of chickens culled and egg production diminished, the recovery process has been slow and arduous, and many Americans are still feeling the effects of the crisis.
As the nation continues to grapple with the aftermath of the egg crisis, one thing is certain: the role of the Biden administration in the events leading up to the shortages will remain a contentious issue for years to come. Whether or not the President and his team are able to effectively address the lingering problems in the agricultural sector remains to be seen.
However, for now, it’s clear that the United States is facing an uphill battle in trying to restore stability to its egg supply and ease the burden on American consumers.
In the end, the egg crisis is a stark reminder of the delicate balance that must be maintained in the nation's agricultural policies and the far-reaching consequences that can result from mismanagement or a failure to act in a timely manner. It also serves as a warning to future administrations that the food supply is an issue that requires immediate and effective action, as the fallout from such crises can have lasting impacts on the everyday lives of millions of people.
