WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) called on President Trump to quickly develop a plan to contain the avian flu outbreak that is devastating the nation’s poultry flocks and dairy herds and driving egg costs to reach record highs. Baldwin’s letter follows the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) refusing to provide updated information to the public and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) failing to publish the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) for the first time in decades due to the pause on all public health communications.
“In the last 30 days, 22.43 million birds, including 153 total poultry flocks, have been affected by avian flu. Last week, the average wholesale price for large, white shell eggs reached $8 a dozen, a 218 percent increase from the $2.51 average consumers were paying in December 2023. The number of avian flu detections, and increases in egg prices, are far surpassing previous records and will not slow down anytime soon unless your Administration commits to a robust response,” said Senator Baldwin.
Senator Baldwin has long led in supporting the agriculture community and consumers from the impacts of avian flu outbreaks. In February 2023, she called on the Biden Administration to take swift action to address the ongoing outbreak of avian influenza and use the resources she helped pass in government funding bills to address the situation. In April 2024, Senator Baldwin pushed the Biden administration to quickly deploy additional resources to contain the spread of the ongoing avian flu outbreak in dairy cattle. In May 2024, she called on the United States Department of Agriculture to strengthen interagency coordination to continue to provide the public and state agencies with coordinated, up-to-date and accurate information on the spread of HPAI, particularly around the safety of the U.S. commercial milk or meat supply, and the risk to farmworker health.
“Your Administration is responsible for ensuring that data and available resources reach stakeholders on the ground responding to the outbreak. When the CDC, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) coordinate with each other and their counterparts across the country, stakeholders working on the ground can make informed decisions. The CDC and USDA, specifically, should prioritize communicating and deploying resources to farmers, ranchers, and veterinarians to strengthen biosecurity measures that protect workers and livestock. Without these measures in place, we will not be able to contain the spread of the virus, further exacerbating the risk to our nation’s farmers and driving up food costs,” Baldwin continued.
The full letter is available here.
