RM Markey: “Small businesses and entrepreneurs in western Massachusetts deserve an SBA that works for them, not one bound by this Administration’s political whims”
(Washington, March 6) – Ranking Member Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) led Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representatives Richard Neal (MA-01) and Jim McGovern (MA-02) in writing to General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Edward Forst to demand answers regarding the continued closure of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Springfield district office. Following multiple attempts over the past year to gain clarity from the Trump administration on the status of the Springfield district office, Ranking Member Markey and the Massachusetts lawmakers have received little information from administration officials.
The lawmakers wrote, “As part of its careless, cruel, and chaotic rampage through the federal government, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) colluded with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to unjustifiably shutter the Springfield, Massachusetts SBA branch office. We have written to and met with SBA numerous times about the Springfield office’s closure and the impact it has had on small businesses in western Massachusetts. In its written responses to our letters and in briefings, SBA has expressed a desire to reopen the Springfield branch office but advised that the decision is the General Services Administration’s (GSA) to make.”
The lawmakers continued, “One of GSA’s strategic goals is to deliver ‘financially and environmentally sustainable, accessible, and responsive workspace solutions that enable a productive federal workforce.’ Nothing about the closure of the Springfield, Massachusetts SBA branch office has aligned with this strategic goal. Contrary to Administrator Loeffler’s response to our May 28th letter, the closure has resulted in a profound loss of service for small businesses.”
The lawmakers requested answers to the following questions by March 19, 2026:
- What justification, if any, did DOGE provide to GSA for the closure of the Springfield, Massachusetts branch office on June 1, 2025?
- What is the selection process for the site of the new western Massachusetts SBA branch office? Please provide a detailed timeline and description of the process.
- Please provide a list of options GSA has vetted since January 20, 2025, for a potential western Massachusetts SBA branch office, including any accompanying analysis.
- When will GSA provide the new lease location for the new western Massachusetts SBA branch office? Why has there been a delay in providing this information?
- When does GSA anticipate the new location will open?
Ranking Member Markey has fought hard to ensure small businesses in Massachusetts have access to resources through the SBA.
- In September, Ranking Member Markey, Senator Warren, and Representatives Neal and McGovern wrote to SBA to renew their demands that the SBA reopen the Springfield district office.
- In May, Ranking Member Markey, Senator Warren, and Representatives Neal and McGovern first wrote to Administrator Loeffler to slam the closure of the Springfield, Massachusetts SBA district office.
- In March 2025, Senators Markey and Warren sent a letter to GSA Acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian, asking what factors went into GSA’s decision to cancel or not renew 17 leases in Massachusetts, including the Springfield District Office.
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