Statement from NAHB CEO Jerry Howard on White House Meeting on Housing

A diverse group of affordable housing leaders met today with National Economic Council Director Brian Deese, Domestic Policy Council Director Ambassador Susan Rice, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge, and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Sandra Thompson to discuss legislative, administrative, private sector, and state and local actions to address housing supply and affordability challenges across the country.

Jerry Howard, chief executive officer of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), issued the following statement after attending the White House meeting:

“With the housing market currently in a recession and the nation facing a growing housing affordability crisis, NAHB welcomed the opportunity to meet with top administration officials today to discuss actions policymakers can take to move the housing market forward and boost the economy.

“Specifically, NAHB urged the administration to focus on helping to ease building material supply chain shortages that are resulting in housing construction delays and higher home building costs. Of note, builders are reporting concrete shortages in several states and a dearth of transformers that provide electricity to homes which is halting development across much of the country.

“We also asked the White House to make it a priority to ensure sufficient liquidity for the housing market and to eliminate unnecessary regulations that slow the home building process and raise housing costs for home buyers and renters.”