{"id":33070,"date":"2026-03-04T22:42:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T12:42:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/?p=33070"},"modified":"2026-03-04T22:42:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T12:42:33","slug":"trumps-tariffs-hurt-60-of-builders-as-democrats-push-for-lumber-carve-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/trumps-tariffs-hurt-60-of-builders-as-democrats-push-for-lumber-carve-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump&#8217;s Tariffs Hurt 60% of Builders as Democrats Push for Lumber Carve-Out"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Supreme Court ruled that many of Trump\u2019s tariffs were illegal, prompting the president to hit back with new tariffs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/news\/politics\/trump-administration-loses-push-to-delay-tariff-refund-fight\/ar-AA1Xns8E?ocid=BingNewsSerp\">and to argue for refunds in court.<\/a> Now, Senate Democrats are hitting back with legislation that would carve the housing supply chain out of the new tariff regime \u2014 including large volumes of (non-Canadian) softwood lumber, OSB, and other engineered wood products \u2014 and the building value chain, alarmed by cost blowouts, is lining up behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Introduced in Congress last week, Senators Chris Coons (from Delaware) and Jacky Rosen (of Nevada) put forward the Housing Tariff Exclusion Act, which would automatically exclude lumber, OSB, engineered wood products, cement, glass, insulation, plastics, adhesives, and stone products from President Trump&#8217;s current and future tariffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And for anything not covered by exemptions, the bill would direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish an expedited application process, providing importers a legitimate path to relief when domestic supply simply can\u2019t fill the gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After the Supreme Court struck down Trump&#8217;s tariff powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the administration moved quickly to implement a new 10% global import tariff that took effect last week. And that levy landed squarely on construction materials, catching builders, dealers, and developers who had barely had time to process the court ruling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s tariffs are making it more expensive to build homes in America, and it\u2019s driving up the cost of housing for everyone,\u201d Senator Coons said. \u201cIn a housing crisis, this is the last thing we should be doing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">NAHB worked closely with <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenJackyRosen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SenJackyRosen<\/a> (D-Nev.) and Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChrisCoons?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ChrisCoons<\/a> (D-Del.) to introduce The Housing Tariff Exclusion Act that would address the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/housingaffordability?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#housingaffordability<\/a> crisis by creating a process to exempt building materials from <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/tariffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#tariffs<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/M6WjRyISlp\">https:\/\/t.co\/M6WjRyISlp<\/a><\/p>&mdash; NAHB \ud83c\udfe0 (@NAHBhome) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NAHBhome\/status\/2027500326882775518?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 27, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Senator Rosen was even more direct. \u201cWe know that one way to address the affordable housing crisis is by making it easier and cheaper for developers to build more housing \u2014 but Trump has done the complete opposite over the past year by imposing cost-raising tariffs on virtually all homebuilding materials,\u201d she said. \u201cThe Supreme Court found many of his tariffs illegal, but it\u2019s clear that he\u2019ll use the many other tariff authorities at his disposal to continue imposing them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wood Central understands that if passed, the legislation would apply to all tariffs implemented since January 19, 2025. It deliberately leaves long-standing anti-dumping and countervailing duties alone, meaning the existing AD\/CVD orders on Canadian softwood lumber will remain in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More than 60% of builders are bleeding<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p>The National Association of Home Builders, which worked directly with Rosen and Coons to shape the bill, didn\u2019t mince words on the scale of the problem. As it stands, 60% of builders have already reported cost increases attributable to tariffs, which are being passed directly to buyers and renters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last year, Wood Central reported that NAHB members were budgeting for tariff-driven material cost increases of between US$7,500 and US$10,900 on a typical single-family build, before the latest levy was added. \u201cThis bill is an important step forward to create more certainty for American businesses and to address the nation\u2019s housing affordability challenges,\u201d said NAHB Chairman Bill Owens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"knfs_JHBRf4\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"JUST IN: Canada REJECTS New U.S. Lumber Tariffs \u2014 U.S. Housing Faces Historic Crisis!\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/knfs_JHBRf4?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Major construction firms across the United States are issuing coordinated warnings that the housing market is entering dangerous instability. The driver isn\u2019t a sudden export ban or political announcement. Instead, tightening Canadian softwood lumber supply is quietly pushing material costs higher, with no relief expected this year. Footage courtesy of the Global Shift.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>And there&#8217;s a structural problem that makes the tariff pain worse than it looks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As it stands, more than 93% of U.S. homes use timber framing, and the country imports roughly 30% of the softwood lumber it consumes, with 85% of that coming from Canada alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s why NAHB has been warning for months that soaring Canadian lumber duties, now exceeding 35% before the new global tariff, were squeezing builders already battling high material and labour costs. Single-family housing starts fell nearly 7% in 2025 to 943,000, the weakest result since the pandemic recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The lumber and building materials sector is united on this one<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p>The National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association, which had direct input into the bill\u2019s scope, put its endorsement on the record immediately. \u201cLumber and building material dealers operate within a supply chain that depends on stable and predictable trade policy,\u201d said Jonathan M. Paine, President and CEO of the NLBMDA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTariffs on essential construction inputs have been shown to increase costs, create market volatility, and can delay or discourage new housing starts. By establishing a transparent and timely exclusion process for critical homebuilding materials, the Housing Tariff Exclusion Act will help stabilise prices, strengthen supply chains, and support the increased construction activity needed to improve housing affordability nationwide.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>David Dworkin, President and CEO of the National Housing Conference, said the legislation would lower building and preservation costs, reduce supply chain pressures, and ensure trade policy stops worsening the affordability crisis the sector is already trying to dig out from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other endorsers include Third Way, Up for Growth Action, Habitat for Humanity, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and the Housing Assistance Council. The bill is co-sponsored by Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Delaware), Tim Kaine (D-Virginia), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Maryland), Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico), and Andy Kim (D-New Jersey).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>To learn more about the Supreme Court\u2019s decision to strike down Trump\u2019s tariff powers and what it means for construction imports, <a href=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/supreme-court-rules-against-trumps-tariffs-but-leaves-questions-unanswered\/\">click here for Wood Central\u2019s special feature.<\/a><\/em> To find out how engineered wood products bound for the U.S. are now caught in the new Section 122 surcharge, <a href=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/us-bound-mass-timber-hit-with-15-tariffs-but-what-happens-to-the-refunds\/\">click here for Wood Central\u2019s report from last week.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Supreme Court ruled that many of Trump\u2019s tariffs were illegal, prompting the president to hit back with new tariffs and to argue for refunds in court. Now, Senate Democrats are hitting back with legislation that would carve the housing supply chain out of the new tariff regime \u2014 including large volumes of (non-Canadian) softwood [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31251,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"default","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"default","_google_business_share_type":"default","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[51,37,32,45,44,31],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[70],"class_list":{"0":"post-33070","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-americas","8":"category-building-and-construction","9":"category-global-news","10":"category-sustainability","11":"category-sustainable-forest-management","12":"category-top-stories"},"authors":[{"term_id":70,"user_id":2,"is_guest":0,"slug":"jason","display_name":"Jason Ross","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/J-Ross-headshot.jpeg","url2x":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/J-Ross-headshot.jpeg"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33070","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33070"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33070\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33095,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33070\/revisions\/33095"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33070"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=33070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}