PEMBROKE – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan recently met with business owners from Belletetes, Inc., a family-owned building materials retailer based in New Hampshire, to discuss the rising costs that the business is facing due to the Trump Administration’s reckless, sweeping tariffs – which threatens to raise the price of building housing for all Granite Staters.
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WMUR: Home building supplier says prices of some goods have increased because of tariffs
By Tom Garris
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Some New Hampshire businesses say it's getting more expensive to build a home in the state after tariffs went into effect.
U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, met Friday with workers at home building supplier Belletetes, who said that the prices of some imported goods have jumped as much as 40%.
Canadian lumber has been spared from an import tax for now.
"The tariffs on other kinds of building materials – metals, windows, flashing – are really creating higher costs for housing," Hassan said.
Hassan said the uncertainty isn't needed at a time when New Hampshire is dealing with a housing crisis.
"Because of the tariffs, it's making it harder to increase our supply of affordable housing in New Hampshire," she said.
As he left the White House on Friday, President Donald Trump continued to say the tariffs are working as intended.
"I think the tariff plan is doing very well," he said. "I think we're resetting the table. It's going to make our country very rich. It's already happening."
The president has touted the economic plan as a boon for domestic manufacturing and jobs. Workers at Belletetes said it's too soon to say if that's happening in the industry.
"But as the president keeps threatening tariffs and really imposing them in a random and reckless way, it creates a lot of uncertainty," Hassan said.
The National Association of Home Builders is warning members of the trade association to expect increased tariffs on Canadian lumber later this year.
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