America's Lumber Crisis

Floor Speech

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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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