Small Business Chief Details Spillover Effects of Shutdown on Economy

Small Business Administration chief Kelly Loeffler, at a House Republican news conference on Monday, warned of the adverse effects the federal government shutdown is having on the economy. The SBA administrator’s comments came as the shutdown approaches the one-month mark.

“The SBA’s loan-guarantee programs have been halted, and main street’s capital has been choked off, because Senate Democrats are playing politics with lives and livelihoods. They’re demanding $1.5 trillion in taxpayer money to fund health care for illegal aliens and other liberal causes,” Loeffler explained at the House press event.

The former Georgia senator’s private sector concerns were coupled with the pain faced by thousands of federal employees who face uncertainty about when they will be allowed to resume working—and get paid.

“Last week, 1.4 million federal workers missed a full paycheck. Now you know, many of them are furloughed, and many more are deemed essential workers—those who are essential, for example, to keep the country safe. [Transportation Security Administration] agents, we’ve discussed air traffic controllers and Border Patrol and, of course, our troops, but so many of them now are going without pay,” Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., noted at the conference.

The speaker added: “The families of military service members and air traffic controllers and so many of these others are now at very real risk of missing the paycheck at the end of this month, the Trump administration has done everything possible to bend over backwards to try to find sources of funding within the federal government to be able to cover the bases.”

Johnson added that even as the shutdown drags on, Democrats appear to care more about endorsing the far Left flank of their political party than providing a way forward for the millions of Americans affected by Congress’ inaction.

“The House Democrats have chosen a side they were forced to by that far Left they’re so terrified of, and they’ve shown the world what they really believe. There is no longer a place for centrists and moderates in their party. The candidate that they have endorsed, [New York City mayoral front-runner Zohran] Mamdani, is somebody who we’ve talked about a lot from this podium,” the Louisiana lawmaker said.

“He sympathized with Hamas and openly embraced antisemitic language. He has called to, quote, ‘seize the means of production.’ Because he is a Marxist. He’s called to abolish our borders, to abolish and end immigration enforcement, to defund the police and to legalize prostitution. Among a long list of hits that I can share with you, Zohran Mamdani is expected to take the helm of one of the most important cities in the world, the largest city in America, and he now has the full blessing of the Democrat leader in the House of Representatives,” Johnson said, the latter being a reference to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, the chairman of the House Small Business Committee, challenged Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to observe how the small businesses in his state were doing.

“Take a look at the small businesses in your district or in New York, Sen. Schumer. Tell them that you don’t care about them. Tell them you don’t care if they meet the payroll. Tell them you don’t care if they hire workers, and see how that goes,” Williams said.

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