On February 19, 2025, the U.S. Senate confirmed Kelly Loeffler to lead the Small Business Administration in a vote of 52 to 46. The confirmation was bipartisan in the sense that one Democratic senator—Nevada’s Jacky Rosen—joined 51 Republicans in supporting her nomination.

Loeffler, a former U.S. Senator from Georgia and business executive, steps into the Cabinet‑level role heading the SBA, the federal agency chiefly responsible for aiding small businesses with loans, grants, technical assistance and disaster relief. During her nomination hearings she emphasized commitments to decrease regulation, boost accountability and align the agency more closely with what she called a “Main Street first” agenda.

Her confirmation also signals a shift in focus for the SBA under the incoming administration. Among the key priorities she laid out are: returning the agency’s attention to core small‑business missions; conducting full‑scale audits to root out fraud, waste and mismanagement; and aligning the agency’s work with an “America First” economic framework emphasizing domestic job creation.

Despite the backing, some critics expressed concern. For example, the ranking committee Democrat Edward J. Markey warned that Loeffler’s close alignment with the previous administration’s agenda could jeopardize small businesses by shifting priorities away from inclusive support and toward partisan goals. Overall, Loeffler’s arrival at the SBA marks a significant leadership change with strong implications for how the agency will operate and serve America’s entrepreneurs.