Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler took a major step Wednesday toward joining President Donald Trump’s administration as head of a Cabinet-level agency as she testified before a key U.S. Senate committee.
The hearing puts Loeffler closer to winning confirmation to lead the Small Business Administration, a sprawling agency charged with distributing billions of dollars in loans and providing counseling and regulatory support for thousands of emerging firms.
Loeffler told the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee she would “cut red tape and modernize this agency” to align with Trump’s economic agenda.
To the delight of fellow Republicans, Loeffler promised to expand field offices and reduce the agency’s spending. Democrats who urged her to break from Trump’s policies or criticize his actions were met with stiff resistance.
The hearing marks another milestone in Loeffler’s political career. Five years ago, Trump was so skeptical of her that he chastised Gov. Brian Kemp for naming her to an open Senate seat. Now she’s poised to join Trump’s inner circle.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Loeffler’s confirmation, which could come within the next few weeks, is hardly in doubt. But she has still worked to build goodwill among her former colleagues, many of whom still referred to her as “senator” during the hearing.
She’s spent much of the last three months as co-chair of Trump’s inaugural committee while keeping a busy calendar of meetings with lawmakers, business owners and advocacy groups. This week, the wealthy executive pledged to donate her $207,000 federal salary to charity.
“We’re going to get our financial house in order - and we’re going to do it quickly,” said Loeffler. “And we’re going to do that by making sure that our programs are working for taxpayers.”
She received a warm reception from fellow Republicans, who praised her vows to root out fraud and end work-from-home policies. U.S. Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama called her the “quintessential success story.” And U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina said she’d help “right the ship.”
Democrats pressed her with tough questions over Trump’s spate of executive orders since taking office and the extent of her loyalty to the president.
Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts criticized Trump’s now-partially rescinded order to freeze trillions of dollars in federal grants and challenged her to say whether she would comply with “illegal and unconstitutional” White House actions.
“The president is not going to ask me to do that,” Loeffler said, “and I will not uphold a hypothetical situation here.”
Loeffler was unknown to many Georgians in 2019 when Kemp appointed her to succeed then-U. S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, who stepped down before his term ended amid growing health problems.
After she lost a 2021 runoff to Democrat Raphael Warnock, she started a political organization to help down-ballot Republicans and became one of Trump’s most stalwart allies.
During the 2024 campaign, Loeffler and her husband, Jeff Sprecher, who runs the Intercontinental Exchange financial trading platform, were among Trump’s biggest donors.
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