Why did the Trump administration file a lawsuit against California’s egg regulations?
- The DOJ filed a lawsuit challenging California’s egg laws
- The federal government claims these laws violate the Supremacy Clause of the US Constitution
- California’s regulations allegedly conflict with the Egg Products Inspection Act (EPIA), which sets national standards for egg quality, labeling and packaging
- The DOJ argues California’s laws have raised egg prices and harmed consumer welfare
- The complaint seeks to invalidate California’s laws and block enforcement
The Trump administration again levels its wrath at California in a new lawsuit claiming unnecessary red tape has contributed to the rise in egg prices.
Governor Gavin Newsome, as well as other state officials, have been targeted in the lawsuit, which also attacks Proposition 12.
The complaint alleges “unnecessary regulations have diminished the purchasing power and prosperity of the American worker.”
Trump’s mission to eliminate the US of all “crushing regulatory burden” also is reemphasized in the lawsuit, with reference that such red tape makes “necessary goods and services scarce.”
Why California’s egg laws ‘violate federal authority’
According to the Department of Justice, California’s regulations, intended to ensure safe egg production by banning certain farming practices, have negatively impacted prices.
But the state’s pursuit of healthier eggs is in vain and the lawsuit claims the regulations “do not advance consumer welfare.”
Egg standards claimed to be behind the price hikes are not “based in specific peer-reviewed published scientific literature or accepted as standards within the scientific community to reduce human food-borne illness … or other human or safety concerns,“ the filing notes.
“California’s regulation of eggs has, however, been effective in raising prices for American consumers. Indeed, Proposition 12 alone has caused a significant increase in egg prices, and therefore led to a sizeable reduction in consumer surplus.”
The administration argues that, no matter California’s goals or the impact of its egg laws, only the Federal Government has the authority to regulate how eggs are inspected, labeled and packaged.
Do California’s egg standards raise prices?
Such authority comes from the Egg Products Inspection Act, which was passed by Congress in 1970 to ensure eggs are safe and properly labeled for consumers.
As a result, California cannot enforce the extra rules that go beyond Federal Standards, which the Trump administration claims have led to higher egg prices, according to the lawsuit.
However, Jessica Levinson, professor of law at the Loyola Marymount University, argues the legal question “is whether there is a true conflict here between the federal law and the state law.“
It could be argued California’s law does not interfere with egg inspection and packaging, but only the humane treatment of laying hens, she said.
