NAHB and NLBMDA Condemn Action to Double Tariffs on Canadian Lumber

Both associations said the decision will exacerbate affordability issues and compound ongoing price volatility and supply chain struggles.

By Vincent Salandro

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and National Lumber and Building Materials Dealers Association (NLBMDA) both issued statements opposing the U.S. Department of Commerce’s decision to move forward with its next administrative review on lumber tariffs. The Department of Commerce is considering doubling countervailing and antidumping duties on Canadian softwood lumber imports from 9% to 17.9%.

The NAHB called the decision a “blow to housing affordability,” while the NLBMDA “strongly condemned” the decision by the Department of Commerce.

“With the nation in the midst of a housing affordability crisis, the Biden administration has moved to slap a huge, unwanted tax hike on American home buyers and renters by doubling the tariffs on Canadian lumber shipments into the U.S.,” NAHB chairman Chuck Fowke said in a statement issued by the NAHB. “This is the worst time to add needless housing costs onto the backs of hardworking American families. Home builders are grappling with lumber and other building material supply chain bottlenecks that are raising construction costs.”