Housing Tariff Exclusion Act

The Housing Tariff Exclusion Act requires the Secretary of Commerce to create a process allowing U.S. entities and associations to request exclusion of certain home construction articles from duties that exceed rates in effect on January 19, 2025. The bill aims to reduce costs from tariffs on building materials to address the housing affordability crisis.

Sec. 2, Sense of Congress: Congress finds the U.S. faces a severe housing affordability crisis, with home prices over five times median income, a shortage of 3 to 5 million homes, and tariffs adding billions to construction costs, reducing supply and making homes less affordable.

Sec. 3, Process for exclusion of certain articles used in home construction from certain duties: The Secretary of Commerce must establish an exclusion process. Exclusions shall be granted if the article is a critical homebuilding product (listed by specific tariff headings) or if the Secretary determines it is not available in sufficient domestic quantities and the exclusion can be administered by Customs. The Secretary must consider domestic production capacity, import reliance, and lead times. Adjudication deadlines are 15 days for critical products and 60 days for others. Retroactive refunds of duties are allowed for entries made after the duty was imposed but before the exclusion, if requested within 180 days. The Secretary must publish decisions within 15 days and report quarterly to Congress. The process sunsets on October 1, 2029, but existing exclusions continue.