The price of eggs is now falling, after steep increases in recent months.
At the beginning of the month, the price of large white-shelled eggs fell by 15%.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, the average price of a dozen eggs fell to $6.85 last week, a decrease of $1.20 from a record high at the end of February.
Pressure on the supply chain has eased in recent weeks, as no new major outbreaks of avian flu have been reported. Massive culls to prevent the spread of the virus have put significant strain on supply. Tens of millions of birds have been culled.
President Trump’s political opponents have gone out of their way to blame him for record high prices.
Last month, dozens of House Democrats wrote a letter to Trump over the “skyrocketing price of eggs,” blaming his policies for failing to curb rising costs.
“Over the last several weeks, you have done nothing to address these rising costs. Moreover, your flurry of executive actions has hampered the government’s response to effectively address the underlying causes of this crisis. Eggs are a basic necessity for families in our districts, and the financial burden caused by these surging prices must be resolved,” they wrote.
They added that, because eggs prices are linked to the ongoing bird-flu outbreak, “we are deeply concerned by your previous statements calling to disband the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy,” the Democrats added. The letter-writers also blamed Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency in particular for laying off workers involved in the bird-flu response.
President Trump made lowering egg prices, which are symbolic of consumer goods more broadly, a central part of his election platform. In August, at a press conference, he vowed to lower prices “on day one.”
“Grocery prices have skyrocketed. Cereals are up 26 percent, bread is up 24 percent, butter is up 37 percent, baby formula is up 30 percent, flour is up 38 percent, and eggs are up 46 percent,” he said. “When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on day one.”
In his recent speech to Congress, Trump said: “Joe Biden especially let the price of eggs get out of control. The egg prices out of control. And we are working hard to get it back down.”
Despite the drop in prices over the last fortnight, prices remain 170% higher than they were this time last year.