Statement from NAHB Chairman Jerry Konter on U.S. Lifting UK Steel and Aluminum Tariffs

Jerry Konter, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder and developer from Savannah, Ga., today issued the following statement after the Biden administration announced it was lifting steel and aluminum tariffs imposed by former President Donald Trump in 2018:

“The Biden administration’s move to end steel and aluminum tariffs from the United Kingdom is a welcome development and a positive first step that can help lower construction and housing costs. The administration must now act with the same sense of urgency to negotiate a new agreement with Canada that will eliminate tariffs on softwood lumber shipped into the U.S. With the nation in the midst of a housing affordability crisis, the lumber tariffs are contributing to unprecedented price volatility that has added more than $18,600 to the price of a new home since last August. A failure to act decisively will be a bitter blow for American home buyers and for housing affordability.”