Trump Nominates Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler for Small Business Administrator

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Loeffler is a former Georgia senator and co-chair of Trump’s second inaugural committee.

President-elect Donald Trump on Dec. 4 nominated businesswoman and former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler to lead the Small Business Administration (SBA).

Loeffler, 53, co-chairs the president-elect’s second inaugural committee with Las Vegas real estate developer Steve Witkoff. The role of SBA administrator requires Senate confirmation.

“Kelly will bring her experience in business and Washington to reduce red tape and unleash opportunity for our Small Businesses to grow, innovate, and thrive,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. “She will focus on ensuring that SBA is accountable to Taxpayers by cracking down on waste, fraud, and regulatory overreach.”

Loeffler, raised on an Illinois corn and soybean farm, served in the Senate from 2020 to 2021. She was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2019 following the Dec. 31 resignation of former Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.). She lost a 2020 special election in a 2021 runoff to Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.).

“Prior to her tenure in the U.S. Senate, Kelly built a 25-year career in financial services and technology,” Trump said in the post.

The SBA is an independent Cabinet-level federal agency dedicated to promoting and supporting small businesses in the U.S. economy. Created by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1953, the SBA maintains a vast network of field offices and partnerships.

SBA staff help entrepreneurs start and build companies by counseling small business owners, expanding access to federal contracts, and connecting these entities with lenders for funding.

In Trump’s first term, he had four SBA administrators, including Linda McMahon, who is now Trump’s Education Secretary nominee.

Isabel Casillas Guzman currently heads the SBA, taking over from Tami Perriello in March 2021.

The SBA recently announced $20 million in grants for 43 states to bolster small business exports.

“With 95 percent of the world’s consumers based outside of the United States, our small businesses need access to markets abroad to grow and create good jobs in America,” Guzman said in a statement.

Over the years, the federal agency has come under scrutiny over its mandate. In the past decade, reports have highlighted that the SBA has often helped larger businesses.

Most recently, the SBA was criticized over its handling of the pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program after various organizations and businesses, including Planned Parenthood and some publicly traded companies, reportedly received loans for which they were not eligible.