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Kelly Loeffler sworn in, pledges to 'make small business great again' at SBA confirmation hearing
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Summary
Kelly Loeffler, President Trump's nominee for administrator of the Small Business Administration, was sworn in by Chair Joni Ernst and used her five-minute opening statement before the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship to emphasize deregulation, fraud control, disaster relief and support for Main Street businesses.
Senator Joni Ernst, chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, swore in Kelly Loeffler and asked whether she would tell the truth under oath. Loeffler affirmed the oath and was recognized for a five-minute opening statement as President Trump's nominee to lead the Small Business Administration.
"Thank you, Chair Ernst. And, let me just say it's a distinct honor to be here today," Loeffler said, framing her nomination around her private-sector experience, time in the U.S. Senate and a commitment to serve "America's 34,000,000 small businesses." She described small businesses as "the opportunity and innovation engines" that drive jobs and economic growth.
Loeffler cited several policy priorities she said she would pursue if confirmed, including cutting regulatory "red tape," restoring what she called "accountability and transparency," and pursuing a "zero tolerance" policy on fraud. On disaster response, she said the SBA must "responsibly and urgently meet the challenge of disaster relief" for communities across the country, citing a commitment to serve those "from North Carolina to California to Hawaii."
She used a Georgia example to illustrate her work on pandemic relief: "The loan that we helped them get didn't just save the restaurant, it saved the jobs of 35 Georgians," Loeffler said, referring to Dockside Seafood in Savannah as a Main Street business she said benefited from Paycheck Protection Program assistance.
Loeffler described her background as a fourth-generation farmer's daughter, a small-business owner and a former co-owner of a WNBA team, saying those experiences inform her approach to the SBA's mission. She also invoked President Trump's agenda, saying that agenda—she named tax cuts, deregulation and energy policies—would restore the small-business economy.
She closed by thanking committee members and saying she welcomed questions: "I would be honored to earn your support to serve as the next administrator of the Small Business Administration. Thank you."
