By Stephanie Finucane

Monday, July 21, 2025 | 2 a.m.

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• https://lasvegassun.com/news/2025/jul/21/making-chickens-miserable-again-wont-save-the-econ/

Talk about hen-pecking.

President Donald Trump has taken his feud with blue states like California to a ridiculous new level by suing us for being too nice to chickens.

Apparently, his administration believes that California coddles egg-laying hens by allowing them to occasionally take a break from their duties — maybe stand up and spread their wings — rather than confining them in cages where they can barely budge.

While the administration believes it’s fine for California to set standards for its own chickens, the lawsuit alleges that imposing the same requirements on other states that want to sell eggs in California is a step too far. It demands that all states be allowed to sell eggs in California, as long as they comply with national standards for egg farms.

This may seem like some heartless campaign to make chickens miserable again, but the Trump administration claims it’s looking out for American consumers.

The lawsuit says animal welfare standards have driven up the cost of eggs. That’s anathema for an administration that promised to bring down the cost living but has done precious little to make that come true.

Quite the opposite. Trump’s tariffs are expected to raise prices on a host of items — cars, appliances, clothing and toys, to name a few. But as long as we can buy eggs for less than $5 a dozen, maybe we’ll be so busy making omelets that we won’t notice.

Except there’s a problem with that. Economists say it was bird flu — not animal welfare regulations — that was primarily responsible for the steep cost increases we saw several months ago.

Since then, there has been a drop in the number of avian flu cases, and egg prices have fallen along with them.

This lawsuit is nothing but posturing by an administration that couldn’t care less about American consumers — not to mention animal welfare. As much as Trump likes to discredit the “woke” Democratic leadership of states like California, a growing number of Americans want farm animals to be treated humanely.

What’s more, the Supreme Court already affirmed that states have the authority to regulate what can be sold within their borders.

The majority decision, written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, even provided an example: If one state allows horse meat to be sold for human consumption, should that mean every state is required to do so?

Of course not.

Instead of filing this ridiculous, anti-chicken lawsuit, the Trump administration would be better off focusing on ways to actually support agriculture.

Start by allowing migrant farm workers to continue their important work without fear of being hauled off to Alligator Alcatraz.

Otherwise, $10 zucchinis may be coming soon to a grocery near you.

Stephanie Finucane is an opinion editor and writer for McClatchy and the San Luis Obispo (Calif.) Tribune.