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 | Economics
Sep 11, 2026
Median Revenue Flat for NAHB Builder Members in 2025
According to the most recent NAHB member census, nearly two-fifths (38%) of NAHB Builder members earned between $1 million and $5 million in total revenue in 2025.
Education | Education at IBS
Sep 10, 2026
13 IBS Education Presentation Replays Now Available
To help industry professionals stay ahead of residential construction trends and bring actionable ideas to their businesses, NAHB is offering members exclusive access to the most valuable IBS Education sessions from the 2026 show.
Latest Economic News
Economics
Sep 10, 2026
Energy Prices Rise Again in August
Residential building material prices, excluding energy, rose 0.2% in August and were up 5.1% from a year ago. Energy prices rose sharply in August, as prices for energy inputs to residential construction rose 6.6% over the month.
Economics
Sep 09, 2026
Mortgage Applications Decline for Sixth Straight Month in August
Mortgage application activity continued to decline in August as elevated US treasury yields pushed mortgage rates higher. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Market Composite Index, a measure of total mortgage application volume, declined 3.2% month-over-month in August on a seasonally adjusted basis, marking the sixth consecutive monthly decline.
Economics
Sep 09, 2026
Who Are NAHB’s Builder Members?
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) conducts an annual census to better understand the composition and characteristics of its members. In 2025, 35% of NAHB’s membership was comprised of builder members—single-family and multifamily builders, residential and commercial remodelers, commercial builders, land developers, and manufacturers of modular/panelized/log homes.