Jerry Konter, chairman of the NAHB, issued a statement on behalf of the association expressing how it is “extremely disappointed” by a Reuters report suggesting Treasury secretary Janet Yellen and the Biden administration will not cut tariffs on Canadian lumber as part of the effort to fight inflation.
“NAHB is extremely disappointed that the Biden administration is turning a blind eye to America’s housing affordability crisis by refusing to eliminate tariffs on Canadian lumber at the same time it is considering rescinding tariffs on a wide range of Chinese goods to curb inflation,” says Konter. “Tariffs act as a tax on American consumers, and the lumber tariff is particularly onerous, given that it has contributed to unprecedented lumber price volatility that has sharply raised the cost of housing at a time when housing affordability is already at a more than 10-year low.”
The NAHB has made tariffs a top legislative issue since the COVID-19 pandemic. The NAHB submitted a letter to the White House in April calling for tariff suspension to help address price volatility and overall affordability. In the association’s recent Legislative Conference on Capitol Hill, NAHB urged Congress to call on the Biden administration to suspend tariffs on Canadian lumber imports to help with price volatility.
“Lumber tariffs affect millions of American home buyers and home owners,” says Konter. “If the administration is truly interested in providing U.S. citizens relief from high inflation by removing costly tariffs, it should ensure that Canadian lumber is among the tariffs it targets for elimination.”
