Kelly Loeffler’s day one memo for SBA

On 24 February 2025, following her confirmation as the twenty-eighth administrator of the US Small Business Administration (SBA), Kelly Loeffler issued a memo detailing her “America First” priorities to transform the agency into an engine for free enterprise. Criticizing the previous administration for burdening small businesses with bureaucracy and allowing fraud, Loeffler aims to empower entrepreneurs and fuel economic growth. Below are her key priorities:

Supporting President Trump’s America First Agenda

• Promoting “Made in America” Manufacturing: Transform the Office of International Trade into the Office of Manufacturing and Trade to bolster U.S. supply chains and support small manufacturers.
• Implementing Executive Orders: Enforce Trump’s orders on gender ideology, DEI programs, and energy, with actions already taken like eliminating the DEI office and pausing non-compliant grants and the Green Lender Initiative.
• Supporting the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE): Collaborate to eliminate fraud and waste, enhancing accountability.
• Mandating In-Office Work: Require full-time, in-person work for SBA employees starting February 24, 2025.
• Workforce Optimization: Evaluate workforce reduction measures for efficiency.

Eliminating Waste and Fraud

• Cracking Down on Fraud: Address $200 billion in pandemic-era fraud with a zero-tolerance policy and a Fraud Working Group.
• Financial Audit: Conduct an independent audit to restore credibility and solvency to loan programs.
• Protecting Loan Programs: Restore underwriting standards and ban illegal aliens and hostile foreign nationals from SBA assistance.

Empowering Small Businesses

• Cutting Regulations: Empower the Office of Advocacy to reduce bureaucratic burdens.
• Improving Services: Enhance customer service, technology, and cybersecurity.
• Promoting Fair Competition: Return 8(a) contracting goals to the statutory 5% level.
• Relocating Offices: Move regional offices from sanctuary cities to accessible, compliant locations.
• Ending Voter Registration: Cease partisan voter registration activities.