An outbreak of bird flu has killed tens of millions of birds in the United States. Ten percent of all egg-laying hens have been infected.
Egg prices are on the rise as a result, but Senator Charles Schumer says the worst has yet to come if a round of proposed budget cuts goes through.
Schumer says the cost of eggs in the city has nearly doubled in the last month. Now, he's urging Congress to stop proposed cuts of $500 million to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Schumer says the cuts could not be coming at a worse time.
"Here's what the USDA's program does. First, it's funding to help pay for a vaccination against bird flu so the birds will never get it. Second, it's used for biosecurity measures, to help poultry owners stop the spread. When one chicken comes down with it, what do they do quickly to prevent the spread to others. And finally, they've learned how it spreads so they can stop it," Schumer said.
If the cuts go through, Schumer says it'll be harder to slow the spread of the disease, and egg prices could go up even more.
Forty-eight million birds have died since the epidemic started.