Trump Moves To Bolster Nation’s Lumber Supplies & Address National Security Risks

President Trump, who campaigned on a pledge to end the Biden-Harris regime’s “inflation nightmare,” sparked by out-of-control government spending, has signed multiple executive orders to begin the process of delivering emergency price relief to the average American household. 

President Trump’s latest executive order directs his administration to investigate whether imports of timber, lumber, and related wood products threaten US national security under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act. The order also calls for measures to bolster domestic supply, aiming to reduce residential and commercial construction costs.

Here are the key points from the executive order titled “Addressing The Threat To National Security from Imports of Timber, Lumber”:

• The US has sufficient timber resources but remains a net importer of lumber.

• Foreign subsidies and dumping practices threaten domestic industry competitiveness.

• The investigation will assess domestic production capacity, foreign supply chains, trade policies, and potential national security risks.

• Within 270 days, the Secretary of Commerce must report findings and recommend potential actions, including tariffs, quotas, or policy measures to strengthen the US timber and lumber supply chain.

Last week, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, “We are freeing up our forests … and we have an emergency order to do that,” adding, “We have more forest than almost anybody … we don’t need trees from Canada.”

JUST IN: President Trump says he is signing an emergency order to “free up forests” for more lumber production in the United States.

An influx of new, cheap lumber will drastically reduce the cost of new housing construction. LET’S GO! pic.twitter.com/Q4savP36ct

— Rep. Dwayne Yunker HD3 (@RepYunker) February 26, 2025

The executive order seeks to expand domestic wood production to lower construction costs. It is expected to roll back Biden-era timber and lumber ‘green’ policies, which have been blamed for increasing wildfire risks, harming fish and wildlife habitats, and driving up housing and construction expenses.

Snarled supply chains during the Covid era sent plywood costs through the roof.

In a Jan. 20 executive order, Trump ordered “emergency price relief” for Americans on housing costs and other living expenses… 

“Many Americans are unable to purchase homes due to historically high prices, in part due to regulatory requirements that alone account for 25 percent of the cost of constructing a new home according to recent analysis,” the order said. 

Housing affordability trends remain at a generational low. 

The emerging growth scare (read more here) may be enough to lower borrowing costs.

The White House stated in an earlier executive order that it is addressing Biden’s “destructive policies, which inflicted a historic inflation crisis on the American people.”

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