NAHB Urges Building Material Exemption from Planned Tariffs Against Canada and Mexico
With President Trump announcing that he plans to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods coming into the United States, NAHB is urging the president to exempt building materials from the proposed tariffs because of their harmful effect on housing affordability.
Tariffs on lumber and other building materials increase the cost of construction and discourage new development, and consumers end up paying for the tariffs in the form of higher home prices.
In a letter to the president, NAHB noted that on his first day in office Trump issued an executive order that seeks to increase housing supply and affordability.
“Bringing down the cost of housing will require a coordinated effort to remove obstacles to construction, be they regulatory, labor or supply-chain related,” NAHB’s letter said. “NAHB stands ready to work with you to accomplish these goals. However, we have serious concerns that proposed 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico will have the opposite effect, by slowing down the domestic residential construction industry.”
Latest from NAHBNow
Membership
May 20, 2025
Why You Should Apply to Be the Next National Associate ChairApplications to serve as the next National Associate Chair are now open through Sunday, July 13.
Legal | HBA
May 19, 2025
NAHB Weighs In on Whether an Association Can Sue on Behalf of Its MembersThe Georgia Supreme Court recently heard a case whether a home builders association has “standing” - meaning the right to challenge the conduct of another party in court.
Latest Economic News
Economics
May 20, 2025
Single-Family Home Size Trending HigherAn expected impact of the virus crisis was a need for more residential space, as people used homes for more purposes including work. Home size correspondingly increased in 2021 as interest rates reached historic lows. However, as interest rates increased in 2022 and 2023, and housing affordability worsened, the demand for home size has trended lower.
Economics
May 20, 2025
Slight Gains for Townhouse ConstructionTownhouse construction expanded more than 2 percent on a year-over-year basis per data from the first quarter of 2025.
Economics
May 19, 2025
Flat Growth for Single-Family Built-for-RentSingle-family built-for-rent construction posted flat growth on a year-over-year basis, as a higher cost of financing crowded out development activity.