[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 70 (Thursday, April 28, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H4603]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RISING COSTS OF HOUSING

  (Mr. COSTA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the 
increased cost of building materials, creating an affordability crisis 
for housing in America.
  This is, in part, because the COVID-19 pandemic has played a 
significant role in harming our country's supply of lumber and building 
materials. In addition, tariffs with Canada, along with long-term 
reductions of domestic timber harvesting, have exacerbated the price 
increases.
  According to the National Association of Home Builders, prices of 
materials to build houses, like oriented strand boards, are up more 
than 400 percent since last spring. The average price of lumber has 
quadrupled.
  This supply cost has increased the price of a new house, a new 
single-family home, by nearly $40,000 per unit.
  I urge Congress and the Biden administration to take action to 
address the lumber supply chain, such as increasing domestic harvesting 
of timber and negotiating new lumber agreements with Canada. This is a 
way we can effectively reduce the cost of housing. We need to build 
more housing.

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