Printing Industries of America today applauded President Obama on his call to action to strengthen American manufacturing delivered last night in the State of the Union address. Additionally, the industry group urged the President to add postal reform to his list of policies on which there should be, in his words, no “cop-out.” 

The printing and graphic communication industry ranks among the top ten in the manufacturing sector by number of establishments, number of employees, and dollar value of shipments. It is among the most heavily domestic of all manufacturing industries and is comprised largely of small businesses, 60 percent of which are family-owned, locally operated companies.

“We were pleased to hear President Obama lead the State of the Union address with a strong call to arms to strengthen manufacturing in this country,” said Lisbeth Lyons, Vice President of Government Affairs at Printing Industries of America. “The President acknowledged the economic importance of both domestic manufacturing and small business, calling upon Congress to address tax and energy policies to spur a continued rebound in industries like printing. We applaud him for his vision and encourage Congress to act on pro-growth, pro-print policies this year.”

President Obama also demanded decisive action on tough political and policy issues, stating that he would not support any “bailouts, handouts, or cop-outs.” 

Printing Industries of America urges President Obama and Congress to add postal reform to the list of issues that demand swift and possibly difficult decisions to be made in short order. The printing and graphic communications industry is a key sector in the $8 billion-plus mailing industry, which includes the entire mail-based supply chain of equipment manufacturers, paper mills, retailers, financial services, and more. Together with the U.S. Postal Service, the mailing industry employs more than 8 million American workers. 

“The U.S. Postal Service is at a true crisis point and faces bankruptcy by mid-year unless Congress takes immediate action to institute financial and structural changes,” said Lyons. “Such changes may mean difficult decisions for lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Printing Industries encourages Congress to adopt the President’s “no cop-out” stance on postal reform and to take swift action on bipartisan legislation currently pending in both chambers. Stabilizing and modernizing the U.S. Postal Service will ensure that the mailing system remains a lynchpin of the American economy.

“Printing Industries of America looks forward to working with both the White House and Congress to support these and other policies in 2012.”