New to their Cabinet jobs, Collins and Loeffler are on board with Trump and DOGE

Loeffler, a former U.S. senator and the new head of the Small Business Administration, has been on the road, meeting with manufacturers in Michigan and Indiana. She told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution during a recent interview that the job’s fast pace surprised her as she worked to implement Trump’s agenda.

“We’re cracking down on fraud,” she said. “We’re getting our focus back on Main Street where it’s supposed to be, and we’re able to do that pretty quickly thanks to President Trump’s strong efforts to put America first.”

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Joey Womack is the founder and CEO of Goodie Nation, a nonprofit that helps tech startups and other small businesses connect with suppliers and experts that can help them grow. He said he would like to see the SBA focus more on new types of businesses, such as those that embrace artificial intelligence, and ensure its programs fit their needs.

“I think if we want to get economic growth right in this country and also in Atlanta or on a city-by-city basis, we’ve got to do a better job of servicing small business owners in the innovation economy,” he said.

Womack said he believes that shifts in the job market, especially with the emergence of AI, are going to only cause more adults to consider becoming entrepreneurs. And that creates an opportunity for the SBA to ensure it is serving their needs.

“They’re going to be forced to turn to entrepreneurship, not as a way to build wealth but simply to pay the bills,” he said. “Those of us in Georgia, we need to make sure that our citizens and our small business owners have everything that they need to keep the lights on and to take care of their basic needs.”

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Loeffler said her goal is to cut red tape and modernize the SBA in hopes of helping American businesses grow and compete against foreign competition. But one of her first actions after being sworn in was ideological, announcing plans to close SBA regional offices in Atlanta and several other major cities, citing what she said was their “sanctuary city” policies protecting unauthorized immigrants.

Loeffler did not say why she categorized Atlanta, where she lives, as a sanctuary city even though it does not call itself one and Georgia law bans cities and counties from adopting sanctuary policies. Loeffler also has not said when the office will be closed and if it will be relocated to another city in Georgia.

She also signed a policy requiring lenders doling out SBA loans to verify the citizenship of all applicants to ensure unauthorized immigrants do not receive these dollars. In a news release, Loeffler cited a single loan worth $783,000 that had been approved for a company that was 49% owned by an undocumented migrant in June 2024.

Both Loeffler and Collins have also had to deal with the fallout from the firing of thousands of federal employees under the direction of Elon Musk’s DOGE. Workers at both agencies have also received early retirement offers intended to further trim the ranks.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Many of these workers were reinstated after courts ruled against the Trump administration, but there could be further reductions ahead. Democrats have complained about the impacts of DOGE activities across the board, but when it comes to the SBA they have said Loeffler’s silence has left business owners anxious and confused.

“The SBA was underfunded and understaffed before President Trump took this executive action, and his continued efforts to terminate SBA employees will only lead to further disruption of critical aid and resources flowing to America’s small businesses,” nine Senate Democrats wrote in a letter to Loeffler. “President Trump prides himself on his purported success as a businessman. One would think he would try to avoid treating in such a haphazard, unprofessional, and uncompassionate manner an agency whose mission is to help small businesses and entrepreneurs receive the assistance they need to pursue the American dream.”

Job cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs have proved to be especially controversial, although Collins, a former congressman from northeast Georgia, has defended them and says there are more to come. Veterans have long complained about lagging care and long wait times, and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have expressed concern that laying off workers could worsen the issues.

An added wrinkle for Collins is that many of the employees who lost their jobs are veterans themselves, a population that struggles in the job market.

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Credit: AP

Earlier this month, Collins recorded a four-minute video message addressing complaints. He said the job cuts were focused on improving efficiency, and although he regretted the impact it might have on workers, the priority was improving services for VA patients.

“There are many people complaining about the changes we’re making at the VA, but what most of them are really saying is, ‘Let’s just keep doing the same thing that the VA has always done,’” he said. “Nope, not gonna happen. The days of kicking the can down the road and measuring VA’s progress by how much money it spends and how many people it employs, rather than how many veterans it helps, are over.”

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter said that Trump picking two Georgians to serve on his Cabinet is noteworthy, and he thinks both Loeffler and Collins have done well in their first weeks on the job.

“I think both of them have done Georgia well and done Georgia proud,” said Carter, R-St. Simons Island.

Carter applauded Collins for limiting access to gender-affirming care for VA patients and for implementing a new policy banning the display of the LGBTQ+ Pride flag.

“He’s done away with some things like the treatment of gender dysphoria, and instead concentrating on things that the VA should be concentrating on, like paralyzed veterans,” Carter said.

As a former small business owner, Carter said he has also appreciated Loeffler’s attempts to streamline the flow of SBA resources and ensure they are only enjoyed by U.S. citizens.

“As we all know, one of President Trump’s promises on the campaign trail was to cut regulations,” he said. “And she’s done a lot of that with the SBA.”