The NAHB’s new chairman, Granger MacDonald, has many issues facing him as he assumes his new role: rising interest rates, GSE reform, and a potential rewrite of the tax code.
Elected early last month, the Kerrville, Texas-based builder and developer takes office at a time when the political leadership in Washington, D.C., is changing, too. He sees it as a good time to educate newly elected officials and their staff on home builders’ priorities. (Click here for more on the NAHB’s 2017 housing agenda.)
While he says he is heartened by President Donald Trump’s pro-business stance, he wants to engage the administration on crucial housing issues. “We’ve got to address any and every regulation that’s going to add one cent to the cost of housing,” he says in this video interview. “We have to protect the cost of housing and keep housing affordable for all Americans.”
With material and labor costs rising, it’s important President Trump and officials at relevant agencies like FEMA and the EPA understand how their policies impact the U.S. housing market, Granger adds. “We hope to work with the Trump administration and we’ve been involved with their housing team so far,” he says. “It’s going to be a matter of us having to educate them as to what our point of view is and while we’re very positive about it we know there’s going to be work on both sides.”
