The National Association of Home Builders took aim at the US Commerce Department's desire to double lumber tariffs on Canadian lumber shipments into the US from 9% to 18.32% with a statement on its website.

"At a time when soaring lumber prices have added nearly $36,000 to the price of a new home and priced millions of middle-class households out of the housing market, the Biden administration's preliminary finding on Friday to double the tariffs on Canadian lumber shipments into the US shows the White House does not care about the plight of American home buyers and renters who have been forced to pay much higher costs for housing," NAHB Chairman Chuck Fowke said in a statement on the site.

In the note, Fowke accused the White House of being disingenuous when it claims the nation's housing affordability crisis is an important priority. Earlier this year, NAHB said that lumber prices, which are triple what they were in April 2020, increased average single-family home construction by nearly $36,000.