Gibbs Seeks

GIBBS SEEKS ANSWERS on Softwood Lumber Policy

May 14, 2021 CONTACT: Dallas Gerber

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Gibbs led a group of colleagues on a letter admonishing the Biden administration and pushing for a plan of action to help reduce the price of softwood lumber, currently seeing skyrocketing costs and hampering the building of new homes.

Partly as a result of the coronavirus pandemic the supply of softwood lumber has been dramatically disrupted and the price of lumber has increased 300% since the spring of 2020. The additional costs to homebuilding have added $36,000 to a new home construction price.

The letter, sent to President Biden and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, asks the administration to answer four key questions surrounding supply, labor, tariffs, and a timeline on its resolution:

1. Understanding that COVID-19 pandemic has caused supply disruptions and prices have soared, does the administration have a plan to mitigate these disruptions and restore a reasonable supply and demand balance for the nation’s softwood lumber producers, builders, and consumers? 2. Does the administration have plans to include initiatives to address worker shortages? 3. What steps has the administration taken to address the Canadian trade issue? If not, what steps if any will the administration be willing to undertake to move forward on a new agreement? 4. Considering the urgency of this issue, can the administration provide a planned timeline of action regarding softwood lumber?

After sending the letter, Congressman Gibbs said:

“Multiple factors have contributed to the spike in softwood lumber costs. However, the main driver is an unstable labor market caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the unintended consequences of extended unemployment benefits. As the United States works through our trade issues with Canada, our domestic efforts should be focused on fully reopening our economy and getting Americans back to work. We are on the verge of what should be an economic boom. The last thing we need is distortions in the labor market driving up costs. I and my colleagues urge the Biden administration to find commonsense solutions in addressing the labor and supply disruptions in the softwood lumber market.”

Joe Race, Executive Director of the Stark Building Industries Association, also provided the following statement:

“The average price for a new home built in East Central Ohio has risen by over $36,000. over the course of a year. Our industry creates 17% of the United States GDP and we need help getting this issue solved immediately. Americans are rapidly losing the ability to achieve the Great American Dream of homeownership.”

A copy of the letter can be found here and on the following pages.

Gibbs was joined by Reps Michael Waltz, Blake Moore, Doug Lamborn, Mike Kelly, Brian Fitzpatrick, Mike Bost, Glenn Grothman, Chris Jacobs, Robert Latta, Troy Balderson, Tracey Mann, Scott Franklin, David Kustoff, Beth Van Duyne, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Jake LaTurner, Louie Gohmert, Claudia Tenney, Rick Crawford.

NEW! HotelPlanner

NAHB members can now get proprietary closed user group pricing on hotel room rates at over 800,000 locations worldwide. Whether you are looking to book a luxury beach resort in the Caribbean, an urban upscale hotel in New York City, a cozy bed ‘n’ breakfast in Savannah…or maybe a rental condo in the mountains, you can save with exclusive negotiated rates.

LEARN MORE

General Motors

General Motors is proud to offer NAHB Members a Private Offer of $500 or $1,000 towards your next purchase or lease of select Chevrolet, Buick and GMC vehicles.

LEARN MORE

Lowe's Pro

NAHB MEMBERS SAVE UP TO 10% ONLINE. You can count on up to 10% off online purchases every day, plus additional discounts when you buy in bulk and on orders of $1500 or more with our Volume Savings Program. Discover more NAHB member benefits from Lowe’s today.

LEARN MORE

Heartland provides the industry’s best solutions and highest quality service, due to its outstanding team and entrepreneurialminded culture. For more information about the Heartland program, please call (855)-898-4228, or visit

go.heartlandpaymentsystems .com/nahb.

LEARN MORE

GEICO

In business for over 75 years, GEICO gives you the benefit of great rates on high-quality personal auto insurance. You could be eligible for a special NAHB membership discount on GEICO personal auto insurance. Ask about our competitive rates for Homeowners and Commercial auto insurance as well.

LEARN MORE

Office Depot

NAHB Members can save up to 75% on over 93,000 products at Office Depot and OfficeMax!

Create a clean and comfortable workspace. Stock up on hand sanitizers, masks and more—while supplies last.

LEARN MORE