Rising diesel costs add new obstacle to Trump’s housing-affordability push

Construction firms are confronting a steep rise in diesel prices, now averaging $5.65 per gallon, which is almost $2 more than a year earlier, according to the Energy Information Administration. Because diesel fuels the trucks that haul lumber, concrete and appliances and the heavy machinery that prepares building sites, the cost increase threatens to raise overall construction expenses. Jim Tobin, who leads the National Association of Home Builders, described diesel as “critical to construction” and said the surge is adding short-term pressure on home-building projects.

This development comes as President Donald Trump has made expanding affordable housing a centerpiece of his second-term agenda, issuing an executive order to cut regulatory barriers and speed permitting. Builders already face high financing costs, a shortage of roughly 250,000 workers, and rising prices for steel and aluminum, so the added fuel expense could further delay or inflate the price of new homes, particularly in fast-growing Southern and Southwestern states. The White House did not respond to requests for comment.