Podcast: NAHB’s Position on Banning Gas Appliances and Congress Gets Back to Work
In the latest episode of NAHB’s Housing Developments podcast, NAHB CEO Jim Tobin and SVP Paul Lopez explain NAHB’s position on recent efforts to regulate gas appliances out of the market. The two also discuss pressing legislative issues now that Congress is working again and wrap up a busy week in Washington with NAHB’s Spring Leadership Meeting, Legislative Conference and the Innovative Housing Showcase.
Listen to Housing Developments wherever you get your podcasts, or watch a video of the full episode below.
Editor’s note: Read updates on the REINS Act, gas stoves legislation and the Fed’s meeting this week.
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The newly enacted 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development to develop voluntary federal guidelines for state and local zoning best practices. Although not mandatory, the guidelines will help shape how communities are evaluated for federal grants and give states a model for developing their own enabling legislation.
The overall labor market continued to lose momentum in July, with nonfarm payrolls falling by 23,000 and previous job gains revised sharply lower.
Latest Economic News
Residential building material prices, excluding energy, rose 0.4% in July and were up 5.0% from a year ago. Energy prices fell again in July but remained significantly higher than a year ago. Meanwhile, prices for services were down 0.3% over the month but were 6.2% higher than a year ago.
The latest homeownership rate declined to 65% in the second quarter of 2026, according to the Census’s Housing Vacancy Survey (HVS). The homeownership rate was unchanged from a year ago, and not statistically different than the rate in the first quarter of the year (65.3%).
Led by declines in gasoline and diesel prices, inflation eased for the second consecutive month after reaching a three-year high in May. As energy prices moderated, shelter resumed its role as the largest driver of headline inflation, accounting for one-third of the annual increase and over two-thirds of the monthly increase.