Giovanna Milano is a student at Brown University and a member of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation. Despite lumber prices soaring to a record high of $1,670.50 per thousand board feet, and the housing market booming at a 17.2% price increase from April 2020, the U.S. Commerce Department, rather than helping, plans to impose further burdens on U.S. consumers through increased taxes on imported softwood lumber. On Friday, the Department of Commerce announced its proposal to more than double tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber to 18.32%, from 8.99%. This dramatic increase, while not yet in effect, creates uncertainty and fear, while simultaneously undermining economic prospects for both the United States and Canada as these countries attempt to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.