The Window and Door Manufacturers Association held its Spring Meeting and Legislative Conference last week in Washington, D.C. As the event wrapped up with a networking reception at the Westin Washington, D.C. City Center, just blocks away President Donald Trump stepped into the White House Rose Garden where he announced minimum tariffs of 10% across all countries, starting April 5. Additional “reciprocal” tariffs took effect Wednesday, April 9, targeting specific countries. Hours later, the administration backed off, postponing tariffs on “most nations” for 90 days, while raising the tariff on Chinese imports to over 100%, the Associated Press reported.
The move to walk back some reciprocal increases followed a tumultuous day for the stock market. The exponential increase for China came after China increased its duty on American goods to 84%—the latest swing in an escalating trade war.
The goal behind new tariffs is to “address the injustices of global trade, re-shore manufacturing, and drive economic growth for the American people,” a White House statement said. But the feasibility of domestic production for every product used in doors and windows is “very questionable,” WDMA officials suggested.
Ahead of the latest back and forth actions on additional tariffs, WDMA president and CEO John Crosby expressed concerns for how a trade war impacts the door and window industries, and residential construction.
“The window, door, and skylight manufacturing industry believes that balancing the near-term needs of Americans with the long-term structural challenges of our trade and economic policies makes for good governance,” Crosby said. “Upon his inauguration, President Trump expressed a commitment to advancing U.S. manufacturing and reclaiming America’s preeminent role in global trade. Yet the push to reduce inflation and make home ownership more affordable appears to be stalled.”
Tariffs implemented April 5 will drive up prices for doors and windows, Crosby said, adding, “Without some assurance that this new tariff regime will be very short-lived, this is an unavoidable fact for our industry.”
Component and raw material costs already began to climb in the buildup to the announcement on April 2, Crosby said, adding, “This, in turn, has increased uncertainty and hesitation for WDMA members as they consider new investments in manufacturing technology and facilities, hiring new employees, and make plans for new product innovations and launches.”
The same tariffs also add to an ongoing affordability crisis for housing, Crosby suggested. Meanwhile, officials for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) praised the administration’s choice to provide exemptions for lumber.
“While the complexity of these reciprocal tariffs makes it hard to estimate the overall impact on housing, they will undoubtedly raise some construction costs,” said NAHB chair Buddy Hughes. “However, NAHB is pleased President Trump recognized the importance of critical construction inputs for housing and chose to continue current exemptions for Canadian and Mexican products, with a specific exemption for lumber from any new tariffs at this time. NAHB will continue to work with the administration to find ways to increase domestic lumber production, reduce regulatory burdens, and create an environment that allows builders to increase our nation’s housing supply.”
So far as WDMA is concerned, the association is ready and willing to act as a productive partner in addressing trade-related problems and expanding manufacturing in the U.S., Crosby said. At the same time, “The lack of balance in our nation’s approach to growth—to facilitate short-term stability and growth while addressing structural economic problems—is concerning and will affect our members’ ability to aim for the very growth the President seeks through recovery in American manufacturing,” he added.
WDMA is urging a “balanced, pro-growth policy” to protect U.S. manufacturing, while allowing for “more productive cross-border trade that strengthens American competitiveness.”