A law requiring that most materials in federally funded affordable housing are made in America is fully kicking in. But it is wreaking havoc on affordable developments.
Israel hits Iranian nuke facilities and Tehran strikes base in Saudi Arabia, wounding US troopsTrump signs executive order to pay TSA workers with other funds after House rejects funding billUS Treasury plans to put Trump's signature on new paper currency in first for sitting presidentTiger Woods arrested on suspicion of DUI after rollover crash, sheriff saysUS book critics honor Nobel laureate and South Korean novelist Han KangWall Street drops again to close its 5th straight losing week and its worst since the Iran warHe suddenly couldn't speak in space.
NASA astronaut says his medical scare remains a mysteryA red fox stows away on a cargo ship, traveling from England to the USA Medicaid 'spend down' may get an older person long-term care coverage but isn't a DIY strategyAt Middle Creek, timing and distance shape a photo of migrating geeseThe World in PicturesUganda reintroduces rhinos into a protected area where they have been extinct since 1983Dietary supplement makers push the FDA to allow peptides and other new ingredientsAs demand for GLP-1 pills and shots surges, healthy habits are still keyAI is giving bad advice to flatter its users, says new study on dangers of overly agreeable chatbotsThe future of fish is looking a lot like meatTrump interrumpe reunión del gabinete sobre Irán y el aumento de precios para hablar de plumonesLive updates: Iranian missile attack wounds 10 US troops at Saudi air base, AP sources sayThe Afternoon WireTrump signs executive order to pay TSA workers with other funds after House rejects funding billUS Treasury plans to put Trump's signature on new paper currency in first for sitting presidentTiger Woods arrested on suspicion of DUI after rollover crash, sheriff saysUS book critics honor Nobel laureate and South Korean novelist Han KangWall Street drops again to close its 5th straight losing week and its worst since the Iran warHe suddenly couldn't speak in space. NASA astronaut says his medical scare remains a mysteryA red fox stows away on a cargo ship, traveling from England to the USA Medicaid 'spend down' may get an older person long-term care coverage but isn't a DIY strategyAt Middle Creek, timing and distance shape a photo of migrating geeseThe World in PicturesUganda reintroduces rhinos into a protected area where they have been extinct since 1983Dietary supplement makers push the FDA to allow peptides and other new ingredientsAs demand for GLP-1 pills and shots surges, healthy habits are still keyAI is giving bad advice to flatter its users, says new study on dangers of overly agreeable chatbotsThe future of fish is looking a lot like meatTrump interrumpe reunión del gabinete sobre Irán y el aumento de precios para hablar de plumonesReddit It has a catchy name — Build America, Buy America — and the lauded goal of bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States. Nearly everything from HVACs and lighting to sink hooks and ceiling fans in affordable housing projects that get federal dollars must carry the Made in the USA label. But, developers say, numerous products do not, as they have long been imported from overseas markets with cheaper labor costs. The waiver process has caused construction delays and hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra costs as the country faces an Tyler Norod, from the Westbrook Development Corporation, stands for a photo at a development site Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in Biddeford, Maine. Tyler Norod, from the Westbrook Development Corporation, stands for a photo at a development site Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in Biddeford, Maine. “They need to be treating this like the fire that it is,” said Tyler Norod, president of Westbrook Development Corporation, which builds affordable housing in Maine. “We’ve sort of resigned ourselves that we’re just gonna build less units across the entire country during aDiana Lene has been on affordable housing waitlists for the past five years. The 75-year-old loves living close to her daughter and grandchildren in Fargo, North Dakota, but her apartment is too expensive on herDiana Lene poses for a selfie photo at her home in Fargo, North Dakota on March 13. 2026. “It’s just maxing my budget down to pennies,” she said. To save money, she avoids driving often and buys food on sale. “I’m just trying to keep a roof over my head, but it’s getting more and more difficult,” Lene said. “I don’t like to live in fear, and yet sometimes it jumps in there.” Lene is on a waitlist for one of nonprofit developer Beyond Shelter’s apartments. CEO Dan Madler is building a 36-unit building for people like Lene, but he had to postpone lumber orders to verify they comply with the law and can’t find ceiling fans made in America. He doesn’t know when HUD will approve a waiver.in 2021, building on longstanding efforts to boost American manufacturing at a time when the U.S. economy was emerging from a pandemic-era recession. Known as BABA, it applies to infrastructure projects funded by federal agencies, not just affordable housing. Denver developer Julie Hoebel says she has spent over $60,000 just on a consultant to comb through websites and call suppliers to try to find American-made materials, not to mention the additional labor costs involved. But the waivers she submitted to HUD in November for around 125 materials in an 85-unit building haven’t been approved.Julie Hoebel, director of development and real estate assets for Grovewood Community Development, poses for a portrait in the courtyard of the Sapling Grove Apartments, an affordable housing complex, in Aurora, Colo., on Friday, March 20, 2026. Julie Hoebel, director of development and real estate assets for Grovewood Community Development, poses for a portrait in the courtyard of the Sapling Grove Apartments, an affordable housing complex, in Aurora, Colo., on Friday, March 20, 2026. Even BABA advocates agree HUD must grant waivers more quickly and give the industry clearer instructions on how to prepare them, which they note other federal agencies are doing. HUD did not address questions from The Associated Press about waiver approval delays developers say increase costs, as well as concerns about making the process more transparent. In a statement it said it’s committed to “ensuring that federal spending supports America’s industrial base” while “closely monitoring how compliance with these policies impact costs for builders.” Asked in January about whether the delays and cost increases mean affordable housing should be exempt from BABA rules, HUD Secretary Scott Turner said the agency was looking into the issue, but did not provide details. “We are looking at this ... with BABA as it pertains to HUD to provide flexibility to certain projects in certain places around our country,” Turner said, adding that HUD is committed to assuring developers get “the flexibility they need as it pertains to building.”Unions representing the steel and manufacturing industries say taxpayer dollars should fund American-made materials and suppliers will adjust to meet demand for products that aren’t available. “You’ve got a system in place that leans heavily on using imported materials to make a better profit,” said Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing. “I don’t know if that serves the public good.” Jennifer Schwartz, director of tax and housing advocacy at the National Council of State Housing Agencies, said there’s no national data on how much BABA is increasing costs. But the waiver process is “failing,” she said, because requirements were put in place before assessment of domestic manufacturing capacity. It won’t be as challenging for suppliers to produce more raw materials in the U.S., but it will take time for— such as appliances and elevators — to become available, said Kaitlyn Snyder, managing director of the National Housing and Rehabilitation Association, an affordable housing industry group. “I don’t know that it economically, financially makes sense for people to be producing door hinges,” Snyder said. “We are an advanced country and we’ve outsourced a lot of that stuff.”“The process isn’t working for affordable housing,” said Jessie Handforth Kome, who spent nearly 40 years working at HUD until 2024. “People want to comply, but it’s unclear how to.” Vermont-based Developer Jessica Neubelt estimates she spent an additional $150,000 just to verify iron and steel she used in a project was American-made. She’s just as frustrated over the hundreds of hours that takes, which, she said, could be spent on another project. “I would like every member of Congress to sit in on a construction meeting,” Neubelt said. “The amount of detail that goes into figuring out if a specific thing is compliant or not is enormous.” Vehicles pass by the Sapling Grove Apartments, an affordable housing complex, in Aurora, Colo., Friday, March 20, 2026. Vehicles pass by the Sapling Grove Apartments, an affordable housing complex, in Aurora, Colo., Friday, March 20, 2026. U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, a Nebraska Republican, has advocated to exempt some HUD funding from BABA. “Owning a home is the American dream, but it’s out of reach in a very big way and anything that adds cost to that isn’t allowing hardworking Americans to achieve the dream,” Flood told the AP. Roy Houseman, legislative director at United Steelworkers, said complaints about cost increases are overblown. “A lot of developers seem to have tried to throw things in and make statutory changes to policies that have been in place for basically five years now instead of making a good-faith effort to really push HUD,” Houseman said.Developers can get exemptions for an American-made product if it increases the project’s overall cost by more than 25%. A very small percentage of a project’s total material cost is also exempt. But most developers say that percentage isn’t enough to cover all items not made in the U.S. Some developers are looking for ways to avoid federal funds altogether. But that is challenging. Even though federal dollars often make up a small portion of funding for affordable housing projects, that sliver can make or break whether there’s enough money to build them. Kentucky developer Scott McReynolds says that instead of applying for a federal grant to build 20 to 30 affordable homes, he plans to build two four-unit projects, small enough so that they aren’t subject to BABA.Trump signs executive order to pay TSA workers with other funds after House rejects funding bill
Mike Flood Economic Indicators Real Estate Affordable Housing General News Domestic News ND State Wire North Dakota ME State Wire KY State Wire Kentucky CO State Wire Maine Vermont Colorado VT State Wire Jennifer Schwartz Business U.S. News Jessica Neubelt Joe Biden Jessie Handforth Kome Scott Paul Donald Trump Scott Mcreynolds Tyler Norod Dan Madler Julie Hoebel Politics Roy Houseman Kaitlyn Snyder Diana Lene
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