Trump’s SBA has stripped resources from Bay State small business owners and entrepreneurs through murky office closures and withheld payments to resource partners 

Letter (PDF) 

(Washington, July 1) – Ranking Member Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) sent a letter to Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Kelly Loeffler demanding that the SBA explain its harmful partisan attacks on Massachusetts small business owners and entrepreneurs. Since January 2025, Trump’s SBA has cut off access to essential resources for small businesses in Western Massachusetts through the closure of its branch office in Springfield and has threatened to remove the SBA District Office from Boston. In the letter, Ranking Member Markey called on SBA to end its political targeting of Massachusetts small businesses and to uphold its mission of supporting entrepreneurs in their communities.

In the letter, Ranking Member Markey wrote, “The closure of the Springfield office, the proposed relocation of Boston-area SBA operations, and the suspension of the Massachusetts [Women’s Business Center] WBC demonstrate a clear pattern: SBA puts politics ahead of supporting small businesses. Rather than fulfilling the agency’s mission, SBA is systematically reducing its footprint in the Commonwealth while refusing to provide transparency, rationale, or timelines for these decisions. In fact, my office has been informed that SBA employees have been instructed to avoid putting directives into writing, denying transparency to Congress and the public.”

Ranking Member Markey continued, “The Trump administration has made its priorities crystal clear: billionaires get tax breaks, corporations get special treatment, and small businesses get left behind. During your confirmation hearing, you promised to ‘restore accountability and transparency that taxpayers deserve.’ Yet, during your time as Administrator, you have done nothing but turn SBA into a mouthpiece for disinformation and propaganda while dismantling resources that small businesses rely on.”

Ranking Member Markey requested answers to questions by July 14, 2026, including:

  1. What analysis did SBA perform to determine that federal resources should be relocated to locations outside of Massachusetts?
  2. Does SBA believe that Massachusetts small businesses are receiving the same level of access to SBA resources and programs today as they did on January 19, 2025? If so, please provide related metrics.
  3. Provide a complete list of office closures across the country since January 20, 2025, including SBA’s branch offices, district offices, and regional offices.
  4. Provide a complete list of office relocations or openings since January 20, 2025, across the country, including SBA’s branch offices, district offices, and regional offices.
  5. Did you instruct SBA staff to mislead Congress about the reopening or relocation status of the Springfield branch office?
  6. Provide the analysis performed to determine the new location of the Boston District Office. Please include:
    1. Cost assessments, including total costs to taxpayers,
    2. Impact on staffing levels, and
    3. A timeline of the relocation process from start to anticipated finish.
  7. Under what legal authority is SBA relocating the Boston District Office?
  8. What congressionally appropriated funding account is SBA utilizing to pay for the relocation costs associated with the Boston District Office move?
  9. Provide a timeline for all payments made to WBCs located in Massachusetts, including the amount of each payment, since January 20, 2025.
  10. Provide all communications between SBA and [General Services Administration] GSA from January 20, 2025, to the present regarding the closure of the Springfield branch office and the relocation of the Boston District Office.

Ranking Member Markey is leading the fight to ensure small businesses and entrepreneurs in Massachusetts and across the country have access to resources through the SBA.

  • In April 2026, Ranking Member Markey sent a letter to Administrator Loeffler decrying the Trump SBA’s withholding of at least $55 million dollars in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 funding for essential small business counseling and training programs.
  • Also in April 2026, Ranking Member Markey slammed the Trump administration’s drastic 67% cut to critical SBA resources for small businesses in the proposed FY27 budget.
  • In March 2026, Ranking Member Markey led Senator Warren and Representatives Neal and McGovern in writing to GSA Administrator Edward Forst to demand answers regarding the continued closure of the SBA Springfield branch office.
  • In September 2025, Ranking Member Markey, Senator Warren, and Representatives Neal and McGovern wrote to SBA to renew their demands that the SBA reopen the Springfield branch office. 
  • In May 2025, Ranking Member Markey, Senator Warren, and Representatives Neal and McGovern first wrote to Administrator Loeffler to slam the closure of the Springfield, Massachusetts SBA branch 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 branch office.
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