Political Uncertainty Continues to Impact Businesses
At PRINTING United Expo in Las Vegas Sept 23-25, a group of experts came together to discuss some of the biggest trends, truths, and takeaways the print industry is facing right now. The packed panel, moderated by Ashley Roberts, content director of Printing Impressions, covered everything from economics, to OSHA, to HR — and beyond.
For the rest of the year, at the very least, expect political uncertainty to continue to have an impact on business, said Stephanie Buka, government affairs manager, PRINTING United Alliance. With the midterm elections rapidly approaching, everything from tariff policies to taxes, to trade regulations are very much in flux.
“We don't know what's going to happen,” she said. “The Cook Political Report race ratings say that in the House there are 21 seats that are at a toss-up, so we don't know which way they will go. And in the Senate, there are seven seats up for a toss-up. Regardless of the outcome of the midterm elections, this will shape the policy environment in Washington D.C. This will impact taxes, your regulatory environment, all types of different policies, including trade, which is a huge one. It's a wait and see for now, but whatever happens will have some impact on our industry.”
One big trend she’s keeping a close eye on is in the postal space, which has seen a lot of upheaval in recent years. First up, she noted, “The Postal Regulatory Commission denied a waiver request from the Postal Service to be able to increase rates in January 2027. This is great news for mailers and the printing industry because they were on this twice a year rate increase, and it's pushing more mail out of the system. We support the PRC's decision.”
But that isn’t the end of the proverbial fight. Buka explained, “Postmaster General Steiner has said that the Postal Service will run out of money in early 2027. He went to Congress and said, ‘You have to pass a legislative package to support us, and if you don't, then we are going to close 1000s of postal offices, and we are going to have to reduce service.’ Basically what he's saying is: we need help. However, I don't believe he has given a number, so we don't know the figure he's asking for, but the Postal Service has lost $30 billion over the past four years. The model isn't working, but Congress does not have an appetite to help right now because of midterm elections. Our position is: don't write a blank check to the Postal Service. If Congress is going to make appropriations to the Postal Service, please put some guardrails on that. Make sure that service has a certain standards and performance are up to par.”
To read insights from the rest of the panel, check out the series below:
Toni McQuilken is the senior editor for the printing and packaging group.
