Senate confirms Kelly Loeffler, former Georgia senator, to run Small Business Administration
WASHINGTON - The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Kelly Loeffler, a former Georgia senator, to run the Small Business Administration.
In her new role, Loeffler will direct the only federal-level cabinet agency that provides “counseling, capital, and contracting expertise” to small businesses, according to its website. President Donald Trump wrote in a December statement that she will also focus on ensuring that the agency cracks down on “waste, fraud, and regulatory overreach.”
She was confirmed by a party line vote of 52-46, with a lone Democrat Sen. Jacky Rosen voting in favor of her confirmation.
Loeffler served in the Senate from 2020 to 2021, when she was appointed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp after former Sen. Johnny Isakson stepped aside for health reasons. She voted in line with Trump’s position 80% of the time, according to 538.
Though she ran in the 2020 special election to hold the Georgia Senate seat, she lost to now Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.
Loeffler was previously the co-owner of the Women's National Basketball Association’s Atlanta Dream franchise and has served in several financial services companies including Intercontinental Exchange. She is married to Jeffrey Sprecher, the chairman of the New York Stock Exchange.
“America’s entrepreneurs are one of our greatest assets and they have a big role to play in our future prosperity. Sen. Loeffler will be their champion,” Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said on Wednesday.
Contributing: Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Paste BN