President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Small Business Administration, former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, passed a key procedural vote in the Senate on Thursday, clearing the path for her final confirmation vote.
The Senate’s vote this afternoon to invoke cloture ended the debate on the Georgia Republican’s nomination, as she now moves on to the confirmation stage.
The final cloture vote was 51-43 in favor of invoking cloture.
“Like President Trump, Senator Loeffler left behind a successful career in the private sector to advance the America First agenda,” Loeffler spokeswoman Caitlin O’Dea told Fox News on Jan. 28.
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“Should she be confirmed, she will continue the practice of donating her federal salary to charities and nonprofits across the country — and put her full focus on working to make the Small Business Administration a gateway to the American Dream for entrepreneurs across the country.”
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.
Loeffler previously worked at several top financial firms, including Intercontinental Exchange. Her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, whom she met at ICE, is the current chairman of the New York Stock Exchange.
Loeffler also previously bought a minority stake in the WNBA Atlanta Dream, but is reportedly no longer associated with the team.
Loeffler also sparred with Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass, during her confirmation hearing over the Trump administration’s announcement that it would freeze federal funds and grants.
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After Trump fired SBA inspector general Hannibal Ware in January, Markey — the top Democrat on the Senate Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee – expressed anger and called for a pause on Loeffler’s confirmation consideration.
Markey said the process should be halted “either until Inspector General Ware is reinstated or until a qualified and impartial nominee to replace him is confirmed by the Senate.”
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the committee’s chairwoman, called Loeffler the “perfect person for the job” in an Osceola Sentinel-Tribune column.
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Then-Sen. Kelly Loeffler speaks at a campaign event at the Cobb County Republican Party Headquarters in Marietta, Georgia on Nov. 11, 2020. (REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage)
“Throughout her career, she rose through the ranks at multiple companies due to her determination and grit. She also started many businesses and knows what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur,” said Ernst.
“Most importantly, she knows what it means to be overrun by Washington’s bureaucratic overreach — and that the government must instead get out of the way so businesses can thrive.”
Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy and Deidre Heavey contributed to this report
