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Newly confirmed SBA administrator Kelly Leffler outlines priorities in visit to Georgia House
Summary
Kelly Leffler, recently confirmed as administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, told the Georgia House she will prioritize cutting regulation, cracking down on fraud, disaster assistance and ‘‘Made in America’’ manufacturing support.
Kelly Leffler, the White House–appointed administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, addressed the Georgia House on March 3 during a visit to the state capitol, outlining policy priorities she said will guide the agency.
Leffler said she was confirmed and sworn in less than two weeks earlier and described the SBA’s work in Georgia — disaster assistance, manufacturing support, and small-business advocacy — as central to the agency’s mission. She said Georgia has more than 1.2 million small businesses that account for nearly all state businesses and two-thirds of new job creation, and said the SBA will focus on fraud enforcement, cutting regulatory burden, and strengthening domestic supply chains.
Leffler said her ‘‘day 1’’ priorities include restoring what she called the agency’s founding mission, eliminating ‘‘wasteful spending,’’ cracking down on pandemic-era fraud, and prioritizing domestic manufacturing through a Made-in-America approach. She told lawmakers the SBA was dispersing disaster relief in Georgia after recent storms, noting field centers and staff in the state and that ‘‘we’ve dispersed nearly a hundred million dollars to Georgians’’ in recent recovery efforts.
Lawmakers thanked Leffler for the update and for the SBA’s disaster work in Georgia. The administrator framed several policy changes in strongly partisan terms, referencing executive actions and priorities of the current presidential administration.
Leffler also said the SBA will require employees to return to in-office work “every day,” will end voter registration programs previously associated with the agency, and will “ban illegal aliens and hostile foreign nations from benefiting from SBA programs.” She said the agency will move some offices out of ‘‘sanctuary cities’’ and continue interagency efforts to reduce regulation.
Leffler’s remarks drew polite applause from the chamber and several members thanked her for the agency’s disaster response. The House resumed its business after the presentation.
Looking ahead, Leffler said the SBA will continue to coordinate with state leaders and federal partners on disaster recovery and small-business supports.
