SBA's Kelly Loeffler Says Small Businesses Back Trump's Trade, Tax Policies Amid Media Criticism

Kelly Loeffler, the head of the Small Business Administration, has a message for the media: small businesses are rallying behind Trump’s trade and tax policies, despite what you might have heard elsewhere.

As "Small Business Week" kicked off in Washington, D.C., Loeffler shared her view that the prevailing narrative about Trump’s tariffs and economic strategy is out of step with what she hears from manufacturers and entrepreneurs nationwide. According to her, small businesses are giving Trump a big thumbs up for his tough approach to trade, saying that fairer deals are letting them invest more at home.

"American manufacturers and small businesses alike are grateful to President Trump for his fair trade policy," Loeffler said, highlighting the optimism she’s seeing on her travels. She described businesses as "spring-loaded" and ready to invest, citing a boost in confidence tied to the administration’s regulatory rollbacks and tax cuts. That’s about as peppy as it gets for government talk — but hey, if optimism were currency, small businesses would be billionaires right now.

Loeffler pointed out some numbers to back up her optimism: small businesses make up 99% of U.S. businesses and create two out of every three new jobs. She also touted an 80% increase in SBA loans during Trump’s first 100 days — a figure she says is proof that small businesses are betting on a bright future.

She didn’t shy away from the administration’s more controversial moves, either. Under Loeffler, the SBA has axed its Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility, placed employees on leave, and paused grants tied to DEI, aligning the agency with Trump’s executive orders. The SBA has also pulled out of sanctuary cities, a move Loeffler says is about keeping employees and businesses safe — and about focusing on areas "where small businesses are actually booming." Guess you won’t find the SBA setting up shop next to the best taco trucks in town anymore.

On the manufacturing front, Loeffler is particularly jazzed: manufacturing loans are up 74%, and she credits Trump’s policies for attracting trillions in investments, much of which she says will flow through small businesses. She’s hopeful that Congress will soon pass a permanent tax cut for small businesses, unleashing even more investment.

Time will tell if this "spring-loaded" optimism leads to an economic boom or if it’s just extra bounce from Small Business Week. But for now, Loeffler is betting big on made-in-America, and she’s urging everyone else to do the same.