[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 12 (Wednesday, January 19, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H221]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        AMERICA'S LUMBER CRISIS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oklahoma (Mr. Hern) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, over the last 2 years, the price of lumber 
rose at an astronomical rate. This followed prolonged shutdowns of 
lumber mills and production plants, despite the maintained demand for 
lumber for construction projects that continued as an essential 
activity during the pandemic. The resulting supply and demand inversion 
caused a nationwide lumber shortage.
  Our economy struggles when businesses feel uncertainty in the market, 
which is why it is the government's job, in times of crisis like the 
COVID pandemic, to ensure stability.
  In May of last year, I sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative 
Katherine Tai urging action to prevent further disruption in the price 
of lumber. At the time I sent the letter, lumber prices had skyrocketed 
more than 300 percent over the previous year. With the support of 
nearly 100 bipartisan Members of Congress, Congressman Brian Higgins 
and I asked Ambassador Tai to resolve the crisis by resuming trade 
negotiations with Canada to reduce the price of softwood lumber.
  While lumber prices temporarily declined following that letter, it 
took months for a meaningful portion of those decreases to reach the 
construction industry and its customers. Prices began rising again in 
September and have continued to increase in the months since, once 
again putting strain on the hardworking Americans who build our homes 
and communities.
  In December, I once again joined Congressman Higgins and nearly 100 
bipartisan Members of Congress to send a second letter to the Biden 
administration, this time to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, voicing 
concerns over the Department of Commerce's decision to increase 
antidumping and countervailing duties on softwood lumber products from 
Canada. We are concerned that this will further exacerbate the lumber 
crisis.
  The housing sector remains an integral piece of the U.S. economy. As 
we continue to recover from the COVID pandemic, sharp increases in the 
price of lumber will further harm our recovery and the costs faced by 
hardworking Americans.
  It is our understanding that the U.S. and Canada discussed this very 
issue last year and expressed mutual interest in resolving the problem, 
but it is unclear if any action has yet been taken by either country.
  We want to see stability and normalcy restored to the housing market. 
It is imperative that we do so. We want to see definitive action from 
the Biden administration to solve this problem.
  Madam Speaker, we in Congress stand ready to help in any way we can.

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