President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will nominate former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler to serve as the head of the Small Business Administration in his upcoming administration.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our great economy. Kelly will bring her experience in business and Washington to reduce red tape, and unleash opportunity for our small businesses to grow, innovate and thrive,” Mr. Trump said in a statement. “She will focus on ensuring that SBA is accountable to Taxpayers by cracking down on waste, fraud and regulatory overreach.”
If confirmed, Ms. Loeffler would oversee the agency tasked with aiding counseling, assisting and protecting the interests of small business concerns and helping families and businesses recover from natural and other disasters.
She is currently the co-chair of Trump’s inaugural committee. Ms. Loeffler fundraised for Mr. Trump during the campaign, raising several million dollars with a July debate watch party organized with Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley.
Ms. Loeffler briefly represented GeorgIin the U.S. Senate after being appointed in 2019 following the resignation of former Sen. Johnny Isakson, a Republican. In 2020, she lost a bid to keep her seat, losing in the 2020 special election to Democrat Raphael Warnock.
Before serving in the Senate, Ms. Loeffler was co-owner of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream and served as CEO of Bakkt, a final services company.
While in the Senate, Ms. Loeffler was a vocal advocate for Mr. Trump. She had planned to vote against certifying her state’s election results in 2020 to support Mr. Trump’s efforts to dispute President Biden’s victory. She changed her stance after the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
She condemned the Capitol riot as “abhorrent,” and said she could no longer “in good conscience object to the certification of these electors.”
Ms. Loeffler was among the witnesses to testify before the grand jury as part of Mr. Trump’s 2020 election subversion case in Georgia.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.