The Senate voted Feb. 19, 2025, to confirm the nomination of President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Small Business Administration, Kelly Loeffler, a Republican from Georgia. (Alyssa Pointer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"That’s exactly what the America First agenda does — by ending inflation, cutting taxes, unleashing American energy dominance, slashing regulation, and reining in fraud, waste, and abuse across government," Loeffler said in her opening remarks.
Loeffler and her husband, Jeff, created a Fortune 500 financial services and technology company together, and she has told lawmakers she intends to donate her annual $207,500 salary as SBA administrator to charity.
Loeffler, whose net worth is estimated at roughly $1 billion, previously donated her annual Senate salary of $174,000 between 2019 and 2021 to more than 40 Georgia charities and nonprofits.
Those organizations included food banks, faith groups and organizations opposed to abortion, foster care/adoption groups as well as organizations promoting health care, agriculture, education, law enforcement and disaster relief.
The Senate voted Thursday by a 51–43 margin to advance Loeffler’s nomination for the final confirmation vote.
Chair of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, backed Loeffler’s nomination, citing Loeffler’s "zero-tolerance policy for waste, fraud and abuse" within the agency.
Additionally, Ernst voiced support for Loeffler’s plans to conduct a full-scale audit of the SBA to weed out any wasteful spending.
TRUMP CABINET NOMINEE LOEFFLER PLEDGED TO DONATE SALARY IF CONFIRMED
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass, sparred with Kelly Loeffler during her confirmation hearing about government spending. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
While the White House rescinded the memo on Jan. 29, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the federal funding freeze remained in effect.
As a result, Markey pressed Loeffler on whether she believed the move was lawful or not, following backlash from members of Congress that the Trump administration attempted to illegally circumvent Congress and withhold funds.
"I fully agree with President Trump’s decision to stop wasteful spending," Loeffler told Markey. "It resulted in a landslide victory that many Americans were waiting for relief against excessive government spending."
Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-confirms-kelly-loeffler-lead-small-business-administration