Beyer Introduces Bill to Reduce Homebuilding Costs and Improve Housing Affordability

U.S. Representative Don Beyer (D-VA), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee which has jurisdiction over U.S. trade policy, today introduced the Homebuilding Materials Tariff Relief Act to eliminate the Trump Administration's tariffs on a series of critical products used in home construction and bring down the cost of housing.

"Rather than lowering costs for American families as he promised on the campaign trail, President Trump has been laser focused on making everything more expensive, particularly through his disastrous tariffs," said Congressman Beyer. "The homebuilding sector has been particularly hard hit, as the new taxes Trump has imposed on imports of key materials like ceramic tiles, glass, particle board, cement, and others have increased the cost of new homes by thousands of dollars. The last thing the federal government should be doing is piling on additional costs that get passed along to buyers and puts homeownership even further out of reach for working- and middle-class Americans. This bill would provide immediate relief to homebuilders and buyers and ensure that any future tariffs on these materials can only be imposed if the housing crisis has abated and with Congressional approval."

Specifically, the Homebuilding Materials Tariff Relief Act would:

• Exempt a series of critical homebuilding products from all tariffs imposed since January 20, 2025, except any duties imposed under apolitical tariff actions like trade remedies, safeguards, and trade agreement dispute settlement.
• Ensure that for tariffs to be reimposed on the listed products, Congress must enact a joint resolution of approval.
• Further provide that future tariffs can only be reimposed on the listed products if national housing affordability has improved.

According to a report from the Center for American Progress, the Trump Administration's tariffs on homebuilding materials could reduce new home construction by 450,000 homes through 2030 and raise the average cost of building a home by $17,500.

Full text of the Homebuilding Materials Tariff Relief Act is available here.