America experienced an historic shift yesterday – something akin to a hurricane. The political structure of the country changed hands last evening.
In spite of the seismic shift, it will be months before it’s possible to predict all the changes that will follow. As business leaders try to answer questions from their investors and board members, the answer, and the reality is this … it is simply too soon even to anticipate the changes that will occur. Public officials at all levels of government are experiencing the reality of change and only time will provide some answers to their questions. Patience, at the moment, is required.
Since 1995, the Strategic Partnerships team has existed and worked at the intersection between the government marketplace and the private sector commercial sector. The team advises both companies and public officials throughout the U.S. This is our world, and we were also jolted by what happened … but we are on it today.
Only hours after witnessing what swept through America, we are being asked questions. The big questions have too little data to justify clear answers. However, we began tracking planned changes, trends, discussions of initiatives … and more … early this morning. We will share our observations on a regular basis in our newsletters and on our news platform, govmarketnews.com, where we post breaking news daily.
Here are some immediate changes we feel comfortable confirming:
- There will be shifts in public sector executive positions throughout the country, although there will be no exit mandates for months. Individuals who hold positions that will expire will begin to make their exits soon as they seek new work.
- As planning begins for new legislative sessions, there will be policy change discussions, revamping of legislative plans and prioritized initiatives from newly elected individuals who will hold power. This is the time for interactive discussions from taxpayers, business leaders and even public officials bracing for new supervision.
- The federal government will almost surely continue operating under a Continuing Resolution. That is obvious since Congress has not yet approved the 2027 budget, which began in October. That is unfortunate because it impacts future funding for federal agencies.
- Policy changes will be discussed at all levels of government and decisions will be made, but the changes will also not occur for many months. In fact, no big changes will occur through the end of 2026 at the state and local levels of government. Changes could occur at the federal level and this is where the focus will be for many observers. The Trump administration will likely attempt to push as many of their objectives through Congress as possible before January.
- Infrastructure funding programs may or may not continue to support critical programs. Because of the nation’s debt, it is still likely that private sector funding will become a requirement when federal funding is provided to state and local projects.
- Agencies in all states and jurisdictions may rush to spend their 2027 budget allocations since their fiscal years have already started. Federal agencies are likely to extend existing contracts rather than launch new formal procurements because they lack new funding.
Business leaders who are questioned about what should be done to react to the changes that are likely coming should answer with one short sentence: “We need to get involved, enhance our visibility and ensure our own quality services are excellent.” This short period of time represents a perfect opportunity to get information related to competitor intelligence, polishing messages, building a strong 2027 growth pursuit plan and evaluating each company’s current go-to-market strategy.
Getting involved includes building relationships, monitoring legislative initiatives being discussed, making friends with newly elected representatives and showing up to support government in every way possible. Being visible is extremely important and service quality and being seen as a trusted advisor by public officials is critical.
Newly elected officials should pay attention, regardless of the chaos they are experiencing, to hear from taxpayers, business organizations, public workers, contributors and the public at large. The message that is resonating now is that Americans are craving calm, cooperation, collaboration, respect and listening. Public officials need to hear that message.
The tidal wave that swept America has not yet calmed. Some elections have not yet been finalized. But there is absolutely no argument about one thing – a political shift has been mandated. It is historic and changes will occur.
The SPI team will continue to monitor all states and jurisdictions and we are available to our friends in the public sector, as well as our friends in the private sector. Since most of us came from the ranks of government, we empathize with the current situation. We are available to any callers if a conversation is beneficial.
