Rep. Nanette Barragán last week introduced the Housing Tariff Exclusion Act (H.R. 10416), a House bill the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) spent recent weeks working with her office to advance.
The measure serves as the House companion to legislation that Sens. Jacky Rosen and Chris Coons introduced earlier this year. Reps. Donald Norcross (NJ-1) and Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-5) joined Barragán in introducing it.
Under the bill, the Department of Commerce would create a process letting U.S. businesses and trade associations ask for tariff exclusions on products used in residential construction. Products designated as critical for homebuilding would move through an expedited track.
The goal, according to NLBMDA, is to bring more certainty to the residential construction supply chain. The bill also aims to curb tariff-related cost pressures, which can make it harder to expand the housing supply.
NLBMDA said it pursued a House version as dealers kept reporting higher costs, sourcing difficulties and strains on product availability tied to recent trade actions.
NLBMDA plans to keep building support for the bill among House and Senate lawmakers while pressing for steadier trade policy, dependable access to building materials and more affordable housing.