The Senate confirmed Kelly Loeffler as Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) on Feb. 19, 2025, with a 52–46 vote, advancing President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the agency. Loeffler, a Republican from Georgia and former U.S. senator, outlined plans to reduce regulatory burdens, expand SBA-backed loans, and conduct a full-scale audit to eliminate wasteful spending.
Loeffler, a billionaire business executive, pledged to donate her $207,500 annual salary to charity, as she previously did with her Senate salary between 2019 and 2021. During her confirmation hearing, she expressed support for Trump’s “America First” economic policies, emphasizing tax cuts, deregulation, and energy expansion as key to revitalizing small businesses.
Her confirmation, however, sparked debate among Senate Democrats, particularly Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), who criticized her stance on federal funding freezes. The Trump administration recently halted grants related to government “weaponization” and “wokeness,” prompting concerns that funding cuts could impact small business programs. The White House later rescinded the memo outlining the freeze but left the funding pause in place.
Moreover, Markey accused Trump of attempting to circumvent Congress and pressured Loeffler to take a stance on the legality of the decision. In response, she defended the move, fully agreeing with the President’s decision to stop spending wastefully.
Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee Chair Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) praised Loeffler’s qualifications, citing her “zero-tolerance policy for waste, fraud, and abuse” and commitment to ensuring SBA resources are used efficiently.
Loeffler, who co-founded a Fortune 500 financial services and technology company, now leads the agency responsible for providing capital, counseling, and contracting expertise to small business owners across the country.
