This weekend sees the start of the carnival season. In some countries, people are still throwing eggs at each other, as a symbol of the transition to the Lent fast. Many Americans would like to throw a few at their president, Donald Trump, as a sign of their displeasure.
But they won't, because they're far too expensive! Their price has risen by a factor of more than 2.5 in one year, to $12 a dozen. And they have become, for the average American, the symbol of the inflation that is ravaging households' budgets.
The cause is an avian flu epidemic that continues to decimate American poultry farms and has already led to the sacrifice of more than 160 million birds. In response, the US Department of Agriculture has announced a new $1 billion aid plan, building on $2 billion invested since 2022. The case of eggs, the sacred ingredient of brunch, illustrates the absurdity of the new government's extremist positions on its two obsessions of the moment: closing borders and deregulation.
The Department of Agriculture has indicated that an additional 100 million eggs will be imported in March. Whatever the absolutists of national sovereignty may say, food security also means securing imports rather than fighting them. Especially when a contagion is ravaging the entire country. In a world turned upside down, Turkey is now going to impose export taxes in the face of American demand.
This case also demonstrates masterfully that the dream of a country without rules or civil servants can turn into a nightmare. The chainsaw of the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, has already cut into the Department of Agriculture's much-needed veterinarian and inspector workforce.
According to the New York Times, thousands of jobs have already been lost, particularly in plant and animal inspection services to monitor infestations. Laws and rules can be stifling and curbs freedom, but they were created to enable people to live in society. Hence the brief release of the carnival. Trump's, unfortunately, will last more than a few days.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.