Carl Harris, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a custom home builder from Wichita, Kansas, issued the following statement after President Trump issued an executive order on housing relief:
“NAHB commends President Trump for acting on day one to make housing a national priority by issuing an executive order that seeks to lower the cost and increase the supply of housing. President Trump understands that America is facing a housing affordability crisis and the only way out of this crisis is to remove barriers like unnecessary and costly regulations that are raising housing costs and preventing builders from building more attainable, affordable housing. NAHB has released a 10-point housing plain to remove the impediments to increasing the nation’s housing supply and we look forward to working with the Trump administration and Congress to enact sound policies that will allow builders to boost housing production and affordability.”
President Trump issued this memorandum on his executive order tackling inflation and housing relief:
“I hereby order the heads of all executive departments and agencies to deliver emergency price relief, consistent with applicable law, to the American people and increase the prosperity of the American worker. This shall include pursuing appropriate actions to: lower the cost of housing and expand housing supply; eliminate unnecessary administrative expenses and rent-seeking practices that increase healthcare costs; eliminate counterproductive requirements that raise the costs of home appliances; create employment opportunities for American workers, including drawing discouraged workers into the labor force; and eliminate harmful, coercive “climate” policies that increase the costs of food and fuel.”
Specific to housing, the memo states: “Moreover, many Americans are unable to purchase homes due to historically high prices, in part due to regulatory requirements that alone account for 25 percent of the cost of constructing a new home according to recent analysis.
“In sum, unprecedented regulatory oppression from the Biden Administration is estimated to have imposed almost $50,000 in costs on the average American household, whereas my first-term agenda reduced regulatory costs by almost $11,000 per household. It is critical to restore purchasing power to the American family and improve our quality of life.”
The National Association of Home Builders is a Washington-based trade association representing more than 140,000 members involved in home building, remodeling, multifamily construction, property management, subcontracting, design, housing finance, building product manufacturing and other aspects of residential and light commercial construction. NAHB is affiliated with 700 state and local home builders associations around the country. NAHB’s builder members will construct about 80% of the new housing units projected for this year.
