Kelly Loeffler back in Georgia, planning big changes in new Trump admin role

ATLANTA - Kelly Loeffler returned to her old stomping grounds on Monday as the newly confirmed head of the Small Business Administration (SBA) under President Donald Trump. 

Administrator Loeffler, a former U.S. senator who once represented Georgia, addressed both chambers of the General Assembly separately, discussing her plans to revamp the agency and support small businesses. In between sessions, she sat down for a one-on-one interview with FOX 5's Rob DiRienzo.

What they're saying:

The first question: What's the biggest challenge she believes Georgia's small business owners face? "What [Georgia small business owners] face today is the twin challenges of inflation and excessive regulation," Loeffler told FOX 5. "We need to bring manufacturing back to our communities here in Georgia."

She pointed to the Corporate Transparency Act, which the Treasury Department announced it wouldn't fully enforce. The act requires certain companies to disclose who is involved in their businesses, which she claimed could burden small business owners. Loeffler also said she will focus on bringing back "Made in America" manufacturing jobs, limiting waste within the SBA, and targeting those who abused COVID-era small business loans.

What we know:

Congress confirmed Loeffler in late February as President Trump’s SBA Administrator. Her political organization played a significant role in Mr. Trump's victory in Georgia in 2024. In addition to her experience as a U.S. Senator, Loeffler has a long background in business. The SBA, established in the 1950s, is designed to provide counseling, funding, and government contracts to small businesses across the country.

The administration has not been immune from budget cuts. The Department of Government Efficiency reported roughly $30 million in canceled SBA contracts. Loeffler said she's spoken directly to Elon Musk about the issues she's found. She posted one of these issues on X on her second day: what she claimed was an empty SBA office on a weekday afternoon. Link to post

FOX 5 asked if people were sitting in those cubicles on Monday. "The SBA is getting back to work. We're about 80 to 90% full on any given day," she said. "We've got more work to do, but I think the American people were shocked by what they saw: empty seat after empty seat."

What's next:

Loeffler has pledged to recover fraudulent loans issued during the COVID-19 pandemic. "The Biden administration had kicked that under the rug. We are going to make sure we prosecute pandemic-era fraud," she said. She also said the SBA would close offices in "sanctuary cities" that have policies protecting immigrants who came to the country illegally.

FOX 5 asked if the Atlanta office was on the chopping block. "What we need to do," Loeffler said, "is make sure that we're located in places that care about the safety and security of their people, and that small businesses feel comfortable approaching these offices. And when you're in a sanctuary city, you don't know if they're going to have your back as an American citizen."

It's not clear if or when that relocation could happen, or to where.