Trump administration suing California over egg standards that they say raise prices

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The Trump administration is suing the State of California over animal cruelty laws that they believe have impacted egg prices.

The lawsuit says the state's minimum space requirements for hens contributed to a historic rise in egg prices "by imposing unnecessary red tape on the production of eggs."

"I'm against the Trump administration on this one. I think that animals need to be, they should be raised humanely!"

That's Leslie Citroen of Mill Valley Chickens. She sells eggs and raises chickens.

MORE: $70,000 more a year for eggs: How price hikes are hurting small businesses

With 63% of the vote, California voters passed Measure 2 in 2008 and Measure 12 in 2018 that required more space for animals raised in confinement, including egg-laying hens.

Here's Cassie King of Direct Action Everywhere, an animal rights group.

"There are actually studies showing that there was like a $1 cent increase for the cost of these eggs, because what Propositions 2 and 12 did is mandate a single square foot of space for chickens," King said. "The reality is that factory farming is brewing diseases like avian flu, spreading it rapidly across densely packed animal populations, and we know that this is what needs to be addressed to prevent price fluctuations to prevent huge public health disasters."

King referenced the Justice Department's investigation on price fixing among some of the largest egg producers in the country - something Citroen is also concerned about.

MORE: Egg prices predicted to soar more than 41% in 2025: USDA

The administration argues only the federal government can regulate eggs, claiming California's laws raised prices and limited the egg supply.

Governor Newsom's press office posted on X saying, "Trump's back to his favorite hobby: blaming California for literally everything."

"This is an attack on California that could hurt everyone in the country, including millions and millions of animals who are living in these facilities and already have so few protections," King said.

There have been previous challenges to some of California's animal cruelty laws, but they have never previously held up in court.