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Wholesale egg prices have ‘blown way past’ prior record

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Sign on an empty supermarket shelf in Queens, New York.

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Wholesale egg prices have eclipsed record levels as the U.S. scrambles to contain a bird-flu outbreak — and consumers may soon see more sticker shock at their local grocer as a result, according to analysts.

On Friday, average wholesale prices for large, white shell eggs reached $8 a dozen, beating the previous record by a large degree, according to data from Expana, which tracks agricultural commodity prices.

“The previous all-time high was late December 2022 heading into Christmas, when we touched $5.46 per dozen,” Ryan Hojnowski, a market reporter at Expana, wrote in an e-mail. “Of course we have blown way past that this time.”

There’s a lag by a few weeks before those wholesale price hikes show up in retail stores, Hojnowski explained. How closely retail price dynamics track those of wholesale prices will vary by grocer, he said.

Bird flu drives egg supply shortage, economists say

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At a time when U.S. inflation has eased broadly, egg inflation has caused anxiety for consumers.

Retailers like Trader Joe’s and CostCo have imposed some limits on consumers’ egg purchases due to higher prices.

What’s more, the Waffle House restaurant chain began charging customers an extra 50 cents per egg for each order. It’s not the only restaurant to do so. Some local restaurants have also increased the cost of egg dishes for customers, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report, which cited examples like like Storm’s Drive-In in Texas and Kroll’s Diner in Fargo, North Dakota.

Consumers paid about $4.15 for a dozen large, grade A eggs, on average, at the retail level in December, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

While shy of the record retail high of $4.82 per dozen in January 2023, retail prices are up 65% from about $2.51 in December 2023 — and price pressures don’t appear to be easing.

Vital Farms CEO on Avian flu, egg prices and growth

“Highly pathogenic avian influenza,” more commonly known as bird flu, is the primary driver of egg price inflation, experts said.

The disease — highly infectious and lethal among birds — has killed millions of chickens at commercial egg farms and reduced egg supply, experts said. To prevent spread, farmers must kill their entire flock if they detect a case.

More than 40 million egg-laying chickens died in 2024, about 13% of the national total, said Amy Smith, vice president of Advanced Economic Solutions, an economic consulting firm specializing in agricultural commodities.

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Consequently, inventories of shell eggs are roughly 15% to 16% below the five-year average, said Smith, citing U.S. Department of Agriculture data. (There’s currently about 1.2 million cases of 30-dozen eggs in shell-egg inventory, according to USDA data.)

Most of the egg-laying chickens — nearly 22 million — died in the fourth quarter of 2024 alone, creating a supply shock that ran headlong into peak seasonal demand around the winter holidays, when more households buy eggs for baking recipes, for example, Smith said.

Wholesale prices “are triple, quadruple where we were a year ago,” Smith said. The runup is “very significant,” she said.

How wholesale prices may impact consumers

Depending on the grocer, consumers may not see price flare-ups trickle down to store shelves quite as dramatically.

“Large national retailers like Walmart and Aldi often have more flexibility to absorb wholesale price increases,” Hojnowski wrote.

They may be able to offset those higher wholesale costs through stronger margins on other food products, or by securing some of their egg supply on fixed-price contracts, which many do, he said.

However, smaller, independent retailers don’t have the same economies of scale and need to maintain profitability on each item they sell, “leading them to adjust prices more quickly in response to wholesale changes,” Hojnowski said.

Why chicken has been less impacted than eggs

Average retail egg prices increased about 170% from December 2019 to December 2024, according to BLS data. By comparison, the average retail price for one pound of fresh, whole chicken rose about 42% during that time. A pound of boneless chicken breast meat jumped about 32%.

All increase more than average U.S. inflation overall during that time, as measured by the consumer price index, which increased about 23%.

That’s largely because of how bird flu has impacted different types of chickens, experts said. Chickens raised for eggs are different from those raised for chicken meat, which are known as “broilers.”

Who makes money from eggs

About 7.5 million broilers have died from bird flu since October, when the latest disease outbreak began, said Matt Busardo, team lead of U.S. poultry reporting at Expana. By contrast, more than 20 million egg layers have have died since the beginning of 2025.

“This alone provides a clearer picture of why egg prices have risen so dramatically compared to chicken,” Busardo said.

Wholesale chicken prices have risen slowly due to disease complications limiting availability, he said. While those prices are “positioned for more upward potential,” the increase “may not necessarily occur at the same rate as eggs, at least for now.”

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GOP aims to axe EV, green tax credits. Act now to claim the breaks

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A visitor waves an American flag near the U.S. Capitol, as the U.S. House of Representatives considers U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax-cut bill, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 19, 2025.

Nathan Howard | Reuters

A tax package House Republicans may pass as soon as this week would kill a slew of consumer tax breaks tied to clean energy, as currently drafted. If it becomes law, households interested in the tax breaks may have to rush to claim them this year, experts said.

Tax breaks on the chopping block include ones for consumers who buy or lease electric vehicles, and others for households that make their homes more energy-efficient.

The Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act, which made historic investments to combat climate change, created or enhanced those tax breaks.

Most would be terminated after 2025, about seven years earlier than under current law.

“Based on the existing proposed language, if you’ve been considering an EV or planning to get one, now is the time to do it,” Alexia Melendez Martineau, senior policy manager at Plug In America, wrote in an e-mail.

Termination of EV tax credits

Halfpoint Images | Moment | Getty Images

Consumers who buy a new EV can claim a tax break worth up to $7,500. One for used EVs is worth up to $4,000. Car dealers can also pass along a $7,500 credit to consumers who lease an electric vehicle.

The House tax proposal would terminate these tax credits after 2025. The Inflation Reduction Act made them available through 2032.

A “special rule” would keep the $7,500 credit in place for some new EVs for an additional year, through 2026. However, it would only be available for new vehicles from automakers that haven’t yet sold 200,000 EVs. That would disqualify EVs from companies like General Motors (GM), Tesla (TSLA) and Toyota (TM).

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About 7.5% of all new-vehicle sales in the first quarter of 2025 were EVs, an increase from 7% a year earlier, according to Cox Automotive. Tax credits for EVs have been available in some form since 2008, when George W. Bush approved them.

The Inflation Reduction Act made it easier for consumers to access the EV credit, by allowing dealers to issue the tax break to consumers upfront at the point of sale instead of waiting until tax season. Consumers who buy an EV in the near term would be wise to pick this option, experts said.

“We recommend taking the upfront rebate at the dealership, as it reduces the price you pay now and shifts liability to the dealer to manage getting the credit from the IRS,” Martineau said.

Axing home efficiency tax credits

Owngarden | Moment | Getty Images

House Republicans also aim to axe various tax breaks tied to making existing homes more energy-efficient.

These breaks defray the cost of projects like installing insulation, solar panels, heat pumps, and installing energy-efficient windows and doors, for example.

One — the energy efficient home improvement credit, also known as the 25C credit — is worth up to 30% of the cost of a qualifying project. Taxpayers can claim up to $3,200 per year on their tax returns, with the overall dollar amount tied to specific projects.

Another — the residential clean energy credit, or the 25D credit — is also worth 30% of qualifying project costs. It doesn’t have an annual or lifetime dollar, except for certain limits on fuel cells, according to the IRS.

They are currently available through 2032. (The 25D credit phases down to 26% for installations in 2033 and 22% for those in 2034.)

Both tax credits would be repealed after 2025 under the House bill.

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The 25C and 25D credits have been available in some form since 1978 and 2005, respectively, according to economists at the Haas Energy Institute at the University of California, Berkeley.

More than 3.4 million U.S. households claimed one of the credits in 2023, receiving more than $8 billion, according to the Treasury Department.

Experts recommend that consumers considering a home-efficiency project have it completed by year’s end to be able to claim a tax credit.

“If a homeowner was looking to take advantage of the 25C tax credit, under what is being proposed [by the House] they’d need to ensure their system was put in service this year,” said Kara Saul Rinaldi, president and CEO of AnnDyl Policy Group, an energy and environmental policy strategy firm.

The House tax bill may change

Deputy Treasury Secretary Faulkender: We'll get the budget bill passed out of the House this week

Of course, the tax bill’s text may change.

There appears to be dissent from within House Republican ranks over various aspects of the bill. Some of the infighting is tied to the repeal of climate related tax breaks, which have been more popular among consumers than anticipated.

The Senate also needs to pass the measure before it heads to the president’s desk.

“Republicans are far from united, with deficit hawks pushing for greater deficit reduction, centrists objecting to steep welfare cuts and blue-state Republicans fighting for bigger State and Local Tax (SALT) exemptions,” Paul Ashworth, chief North America economist at Capital Economics, wrote in a research note on Tuesday.

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Trump’s IRS Commissioner pick Billy Long grilled by Senate Democrats

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UNITED STATES – MARCH 31: Rep. Billy Long, R-Mo., is seen during the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing titled Connecting America: Oversight of the FCC, in Rayburn Building on Thursday, March 31, 2022.

Tom Williams | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images

Senate lawmakers pressed President Donald Trump‘s pick for IRS Commissioner, former Missouri Congressman Billy Long, about his opinions on presidential power over the agency, use of taxpayer data and his ties to dubious tax credits.

Long, who worked as an auctioneer before serving six terms in the House of Representatives, answered Senate Finance Committee queries during a confirmation hearing Tuesday.

One of the key themes from Democrats was Trump’s power over the agency, and Long told the committee, “the IRS will not, should not be politicized on my watch.”

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who provided her questions to Long in advance, asked whether Trump could legally end Harvard University’s tax-exempt status. If permitted, the move could have broad implications for the President’s power over the agency, she argued.

However, Long didn’t answer the question directly.

“I don’t intend to let anybody direct me to start [an] audit for political reasons,” he said.

Ties to dubious tax credits

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., scrutinized Long’s online promotion of the pandemic-era employee retention tax credit worth thousands per eligible employee. The tax break sparked a cottage industry of scrupulous companies pushing the tax break to small businesses that didn’t qualify.

“I didn’t say everyone qualifies,” Long said. “I said virtually everyone qualifies.”

Senators also asked about Long’s referral income from companies pushing so-called “tribal tax credits,” which the IRS has told Democratic lawmakers don’t exist.

“I did not have any perception whatsoever that these did not exist,” Long told the committee.

Senate Democrats also raised questions about donations people connected to those credits made to Long’s dormant Senate campaign, after Trump announced his nomination to head the IRS.

Direct File ‘one of the hottest topics’

While Senate Democrats grilled Long on his record, Republicans focused on questions about taxpayer service. Several Republican lawmakers voiced support for Long, including the committee chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho. 

If confirmed by the Senate, Long could mean a shift for the agency, which previously embarked on a multibillion-dollar revamp, including upgrades to customer service, technology and a free filing program, known as Direct File.

When asked about the future of Direct File, Long said he planned to promptly examine the program, describing it as “one of the hottest topics at the IRS.”

‘An unconventional pick’

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Student loan borrowers struggle to get into income-driven repayment plan

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Nearly 2 million federal student loan borrowers who’ve requested to be in an affordable repayment plan are stuck in a backlog of applications, waiting to be approved or denied, according to new data recently shared by the U.S. Department of Education.

The Education Department disclosed the information in a May 15 court filing in response to a legal challenge lodged by the American Federation of Teachers. The teachers’ union sued the Trump administration in March for shutting down access to income-driven repayment plan applications on the Education Department’s website.

IDR plans cap borrowers’ monthly bills at a share of their discretionary income with the aim of making their payments manageable.

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In late March, the Trump administration made the online applications available again, and said that it pulled the forms because it needed to make sure all repayment plans complied with a court order that blocked the Biden administration’s new IDR plan, known as SAVE, or the Saving on a Valuable Education plan.

Trump officials argued that the ruling had broader implications for other IDR plans, and it ended up removing the loan forgiveness component under some of the options.

The backlog complicates things for borrowers as the Trump administration restarts collection activity. The Education Department estimates that nearly 10 million people could be in default on their student loans within months.

Without access to an affordable repayment plan, student loan borrowers can be suspended on their timeline to loan forgiveness and at risk of falling behind and facing collection activity.

‘The opposite of government efficiency’

In the May court document, the Education Department disclosed that more than 1.98 million IDR applications remained pending as of the end of April. Only roughly 79,000 requests had been approved or denied during that month.

Consumer advocates slammed the findings.

“This filing confirms what borrowers have known for months: Their applications for loan relief have effectively been going into a void,” said Winston Berkman-Breen, legal director at the Student Borrower Protection Center.

The Center said that if the Education Department continued to move at its current rate, it would take more than two years to process the existing applications.

AFT President Randi Weingarten called the backlog “outrageous and unacceptable.”

“This is the opposite of government efficiency,” Weingarten said. “Millions of borrowers are being denied their legal right to an affordable repayment option.”

What’s behind the backlog

A spokesperson for the Education Dept. blamed the backlog on the Biden administration, saying that it “failed to process income-driven repayment applications for borrowers, artificially masking rising delinquency and default rates and promising illegal student loan forgiveness to win points with voters.”

“The Trump Administration is actively working with federal student loan servicers and hopes to clear the Biden backlog over the next few months,” they said.

The Biden administration put the student loan borrowers who’d enrolled in its new IDR plan, SAVE, into an interest-free forbearance while the GOP-led legal challenges to the program unfolded. Many of the currently pending IDR requests are likely from borrowers who are trying to leave that blocked plan to get into an available one.

Sarah Sattlemeyer, a project director at New America and senior advisor under the Biden administration, said that the current backlog began last year “and has existed across both the Biden and Trump administrations” as a result of the legal battle over the SAVE plan.

“It is a demonstration of how complicated the loan system is, how much uncertainty there has been over the last few years and what is at stake,” Sattlemeyer said. “There also isn’t clarity around how some applications in the backlog should or will be handled, such as those where a borrower chose an option that no longer exists on the application.”

Student loan default collection restarting

In recent months, the Trump administration has terminated around half of the Education Department’s staff, including many of the people who helped assist borrowers.

That is also likely one reason why so many of the applications haven’t been processed, said higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz.

“Perhaps the reduction in staff is affecting their ability to process the forms,” Kantrowitz said.

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