In his announcement in the Rose Garden about implementing new global tariffs to reduce America's dependence on imports, President Trump veered off to commend Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins for her administration's efforts in lowering egg prices. The praise seemed ironic given that Rollins' strategy involved importing cheaper eggs from countries now facing higher tariffs to alleviate the domestic shortage that had caused grocery prices to rise.

Rollins unveiled a $1 billion plan in February to address egg price stabilization, focusing on long-term initiatives to combat the avian flu's impact on hen populations. These initiatives included implementing biosecurity measures, such as sending epidemiologists to advise farmers on disease risks, exploring new bird vaccines, and streamlining egg production regulations.

To address the immediate shortage, Rollins began importing eggs from South Korea and Turkey in late March, with discussions also ongoing with Polish and Lithuanian authorities. The temporary solution involved importing hundreds of millions of eggs until the domestic chicken population could recover, at which point the focus would shift back to internal egg production.

Although Trump claimed during his speech that prices had dropped by over half due to Rollins' efforts, experts suggest this might not be entirely accurate. While wholesale white egg costs have indeed decreased by around 56% to $3 per dozen since March, the drop is more likely due to reduced consumer demand following high egg prices rather than the administration's actions, as noted by David Anderson, an agricultural economics professor at Texas A&M University. He acknowledged the positive impact of the administration's long-term measures but emphasized that they may not have had an immediate effect on egg prices.