A whirlwind in Washington
Washington, D.C.—It was an exciting time to be in the nation’s capital.
The National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association Spring Meeting & Legislative Conference kicked off here as New Jersey Senator Cory Booker a few blocks away was breaking the all-time filibuster record, extending it to 25 hours, 5 minutes.
Of far more practical importance, the two-day NLBMDA event also coincided with the President Trump’s highly anticipated April 2 (Liberation Day) announcement that unveiled sweeping tariffs, which the White House says “will restore our workforce, rebuild our economy, and finally put America first.”
International trade policy, of course, has proven highly controversial, with strong industry support for tariffs (Steel Manufacturers Association, U.S. Lumber Coalition) and strong opposition (National Association of Manufacturers, National Retail Federation, U.S. Chamber of Commerce).
A recent survey of HBSDealer readers found 72 percent of respondents responded “no” to the question: “Should the U.S. pursue a policy of aggressive tariffs?”
Heading into ‘Liberation Day,’ the NLBMDA’s open letter to President Trump pointed to the importance of Canadian Spruce-Pine-Fir and recommended against any “actions be taken by the Administration that will negatively impact our common goal of improving housing affordability.”
The White House seemed to agree, foregoing any additional increases in tariffs aimed at Canada and Mexico.
Congressmen Gabe Evans (R-Colorado) and House Marjory Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota) addressed the joint audience of NLBMDA and Window and Doors Manufacturers Association members. Later in the day, Emmer’s support of the tariffs appeared on Whitehouse.gov: “For too long, foreign countries have taken advantage of us at the expense of American workers,” Emmer said.
[The stock market plunged on Thursday. Visit the HBSDealer Stock Watch here.]
And with the eyes of the world on issues swirling around Washington, the NLBDMA carried on with its focused lobbying effort. Four key policy items were identified:
The item: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act
The pitch: Address the nation’s shortage of affordable housing by protecting, expanding and strengthening the low-income housing tax credit.
The item: Credit Card Competition Act:
The pitch: Credit card swipe fees have more than doubled over the past decade. To bring an end to excessive credit card swipe fees for small businesses by allowing retailers to access more credit card payment network options. The proposal is described by NLBMDA’s government affairs director Matt Delaney as a “legislatively mandated free-market solution” that will be opposed aggressively by lobbyists from the big banks “who wear much nicer suits than I wear.”
In session: (from left) Mireya Zapata, Lumber Association of Texas; Scott Yates, Denver Lumber Co.; Seth Arluck, New Hampton Lumber; Chris Yenrick, Smith-Philips Building Supply; Congressman John James (R-Michigan); Dave DeJoy, LBM Advantage; Ryan Underwood, Kentucky Building Materials Association; Rich Kennealy, LBM Advantage; and Steve Firko, Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual.
The item: Fix our Forests Act
The pitch: Designed to provide critical reforms to forest management to protect vulnerable communities and make forests healthier and more resilient.
The item: Small business tax priorities
The pitch: Extend tax relief for. Small businesses by including a variety of programs in the upcoming tax bill. Among them is the 100 percent bonus depreciation, also known as full expensing, allowing businesses to immediately deduct the full cost of qualifying capital assets. Also, NLBMDA supports the Death Tax Repeal Act of 2025, which seeks to permanently repeal the estate tax.
Attendees included John Siegreen, executive VP of Orgill, and president of CNRG.
