TOPEKA (KSNT) – Local manufacturing leaders are reacting to a recent Supreme Court ruling striking down many of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
The Kansas City National Tooling and Machining Association hosted a student tour at Haas Metal Engineering in Topeka on Feb. 25, giving young visitors a first-hand look at operations and the challenges manufacturers face. The student tour offered a rare opportunity to see how national policy decisions can directly affect local industries, giving students insight into the complexities of manufacturing in Kansas.
We took the opportunity to ask association leaders about the recent SCOTUS tariff decision during the tour. They said the rejection of certain tariffs could have significant impacts on the Kansas manufacturing sector, though they caution it may take time to feel the full impact.
“I do think the impact of this decision is going to take some time to really be felt,” said Katherine O’Toole, executive director and career and technical education advocate. “We are still dealing with the economic impact of the rollout of tariffs in 2025, but continued unpredictability makes it hard for us to really make any specific decision.”
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“Tariffs have a lot of ways to create unpredictability and instability,” said Ian Reel, board member for the Kansas City National Tooling and Machining Association. “Business owners, both local and throughout our region, need predictability. Some of our jobs and the projects that we’re working on, the lifecycle of these projects is long. When things pivot and switch seemingly overnight, it just creates instability and a little more effort on our part from a leadership standpoint, trying to figure this out.”
Manufacturing leaders said they will continue monitoring market trends before making strategic decisions, emphasizing the importance of stability and predictability for local businesses.
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