NAHB Works With U.S. Senators to Proposed Bill to Exempt Building Materials From Tariffs

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) announced it has worked with senators Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) to introduce legislation that would address housing affordability by creating a tariff exemption process for building materials.

The Housing Tariff Exclusion Act would automatically exempt many home building materials from President Trump’s current and future tariffs and allow importers to apply for tariff exemptions on home building materials that aren’t automatically exempted.

“Roughly 60% of builders have already seen cost increases due to tariffs, which means higher housing costs for American home buyers and renters,” says NAHB chairman Bill Owens. “This bill is an important step forward to create more certainty for American businesses and to address the nation’s housing affordability challenges.”

The Housing Tariff Exclusion Act includes the following key provisions:

• Requires the Secretary of Commerce to establish a process for U.S. businesses to request an exclusion from tariffs for goods used in home construction.
• Includes a list of products commonly used in home building for which the Secretary must exclude tariffs within 15 days of application.
• Stipulates that for all other products used in home building, the Secretary of Commerce must administer an objective process and exclude tariffs that would increase the cost of home building in the United States.
• Applies to all tariffs except anti-dumping and safeguard tariffs.
• Allows businesses to apply for reimbursement of tariffs paid prior to an exclusion being granted.

NAHB continues to urge the president to exempt building materials as part of his tariff strategy.