Hundreds of millions of eggs are thrown away every year; shortage and prices could change that
Amid a major shortage of eggs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture unveiled a $1 billion plan to combat avian flu and record-high egg prices. CBS News Texas spoke with USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins in East Texas days before she released the plan. Jack also spoke with a Senior Vice President of the National Chicken Council, which has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to change a rule that requires companies that raise chickens for meat to throw away hundreds of millions of eggs every year. The Texas Senate passed a bill that outlaws lottery courier services amid outrage at the Capitol and after a controversial $83 million jackpot was awarded recently. Jack also spoke with Democratic and Republican members of Congress about the Department of Government Efficiency's cuts and mass firings. (Original air date: March 2, 2025.)
New effort to combat avian flu and record high egg prices
The USDA unveiled its new $1 billion plan to combat avian flu and the resulting shortage of eggs and record high prices.
The announcement last week came two days after Secretary Brooke Rollins met with representatives of the agriculture industry in Mount Pleasant, about two and a half hours east of Dallas.
Last month, the price of a dozen eggs shot up to nearly $5, which is 53% higher than a year ago. The USDA has said prices could still climb 41% higher. The agency's plan consists of multiple approaches.
The USDA will spend $500 million on biosecurity measures. The government will provide commercial egg farms with best practices and consulting services at no charge to prevent the spread of avian flu and pay up to 75% of the costs to address vulnerabilities. About $400 million will be added to financial relief programs for impacted farmers that began during the Biden administration. The USDA will provide about $100 million in the research and development of vaccines and therapeutics to help reduce the need to kill chickens when there's an outbreak. If necessary, the government will consider temporarily importing eggs if they meet U.S. safety standards. The agency will also eliminate regulations that they say raise egg prices.
Secretary Rollins told Jack, "We've been working together night and day to put together what we believe to be a good plan. There's no short-term fix. If there were, it would have been addressed under the last administration. I think, though, what perhaps is different now than in the last administration is we move at light speed. President Trump has no patience for long, bureaucratic processes. So, my goal is to move at that light speed but to marry that with what is the safest, the best way to protect our food supply. Food security is national security."
Watch Jack's full interview with USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins:
One regulation requires businesses that raise chickens to produce meat to throw out eggs that are perfectly good to use.
The trade group that represents these companies, the National Chicken Council, petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to change this rule. The Council's Senior Vice President of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, Dr. Ashley Peterson, said the rule keeps 400 million eggs from being used to make products each year.
"They wouldn't be the dozen eggs that you see on the shelf," said Peterson. "But they're egg products that would be used in making mayonnaise or ice cream or cake mix or things like that. Ultimately, it could help impact the price of eggs to an extent because the eggs that are currently going into the breaking market could potentially go to the store shelves so the egg industry could free those eggs up."
Watch Jack's full interview with Dr. Ashley Peterson at the National Chicken Council:
Texas Senate outlaws lottery courier services amid outrage at Capitol
The Texas Senate passed a bill unanimously last week that outlaws lottery courier services.
The move took place after a controversial jackpot for more than $83 million was awarded recently through a third-party courier service. Late last month, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick visited the third-party courier service in question and posted a video of it on X, highlighting the situation. State Senator Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, called out the Texas Lottery Commission and raked the agency over the coals while laying out the bill Thursday.
The commission had allowed Texas lottery customers to buy tickets online and the couriers went to retailers to buy the tickets and sent photos of the tickets to the customers. Senator Hall maintained the legislature never allowed the Lottery Commission to enable sales online or by phone and said this was illegal.
"The Lottery Commission has enabled a private-public partnership led by the state agency to engage in a criminal conspiracy to defraud Texans," said Hall.
The Commission told CBS News Texas that it is aware of the Senator's concerns and is actively addressing the issues. The next Commission meeting takes place on Tuesday.
Early last week, the Lottery Commission banned the use of courier services, but only after Hall said the controversy heated up and after years of the agency denying it had the authority to stop this practice. One of five Lottery Commissioners, Clark Smith resigned more than one week ago.
Gov. Greg Abbott has called on the Texas Rangers to investigate and the Lt. Governor has requested the Rangers expand their probe into courier services dating back to 2016. Attorney General Ken Paxton has also started his own investigation into courier services.
Debating DOGE cuts and mass firings
On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump is set to deliver his first address before a joint session of Congress during his second term in office. Jack spoke with Democratic Congresswoman Julie Johnson of Farmers Branch.
"Our Constitution spells out, as you know, the various powers of the different branches of government and Article One. The first article. The most important article gives the power of appropriations to Congress, not the executive branch," Johnson told Jack. "The problem with what DOGE has been doing, it's not that we are opposed to reviewing policies, to determine if they have exceeded their time, or if more efficiencies can be put into place, but the problem is that they're doing it in the face of what Congress has previously appropriated and just cutting budgets, cutting things that through the legislative process and the hearing process Congress has determined is an appropriate use of federal funds, and they've just done it wholeheartedly with a sledgehammer."
Watch Jack's full interview with Democratic Congresswoman Julie Johnson of Farmers Branch:
Jack also spoke with Republican Congressman Pat Fallon of the 4th Congressional District, which includes Collin County.
"I think to be fair. The fact that this administration has taken office 5 weeks ago, and if they found what is 65 billion or so. That's a good rate of return," said Fallon. "If they continue and continue to perform this way, I think it will accelerate, though, quite frankly. And it's just about do people really believe that the federal government is working at maximum efficiency. Because if you do, I can sell you a bridge in Brooklyn, and I think those folks are in orbit around Neptune. We're looking for cost savings. Congress has been funding a bloated Federal workforce for not years but decades and shame on them, and we have to do far better. So, I think that's a fair question to ask. But the administration is very constitutional. I mean, the power rests in the commander in chief, and so, if he wants to cut, he should be able to fire any federal worker. He's the President. That's why people elect him."
Watch Jack's full interview with Republican Congressman Pat Fallon:
