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SBA to cut 43% of workforce, return to pre-pandemic staffing levels

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6 months ago

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The Small Business Administration plans to cut 43%, a decision the agency head says is needed to cut down on “mission creep” and employees no longer needed to support pandemic-era stimulus programs.

SBA announced the cuts Friday, saying it will eliminate nonessential roles and return staffing to pre-pandemic levels.

The agency expects to cut about 2,700 positions from its current workforce of nearly 6,500 employees.

“SBA will refocus its resources on the core missions of supplying capital, fostering innovation, supporting veteran small business owners, providing field support, and delivering timely disaster relief,” the agency wrote in a press release.

SBA expects to reduce its headcount mostly through voluntary resignations and expiring pandemic-era and other term appointments. The agency said it will only seek a limited number of layoffs through a nonvoluntary Reduction in Force (RIF).

SBA grew to nearly 10,000 employees in 2020 and 2021 — more than doubling its pre-pandemic levels. The agency has since reduced its headcount but still has thousands more employees than in 2019.

SBA says core services, including disaster assistance and loan guarantees and programs, will not be affected by these cuts. It will also keep existing staffing levels within the Office of Veterans Business Development and the Office of Manufacturing and Trade.

SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said in a statement that the agency will return to its core mission as a “launchpad for America’s small businesses,” that gives small companies access to capital.

“In the last four years, the agency has veered off track — doubling in size and turning into a sprawling leviathan plagued by mission creep, financial mismanagement, and waste. Instead of serving small businesses, the SBA served a partisan political agenda — expanding in size, scope, and spending,” Loeffler said.chart visualization

An SBA contracting employee told Federal News Network that the agency is shutting the whole office down.

“Some employees will have to stay behind to close out contracts and cancel contracts. Leadership within our office is trying to keep the minimum here to help with those functions, so not everyone will have to be here going a job before you’re laid off,” he said.

Earlier this month, Federal News Network reported that the General Services Administration is looking to take over the contracting functions of several agencies, including SBA.

Former deputy SBA administrator Dilawar Syed, who served under the Biden administration, said SBA was “already stretched thin” in its field offices, and that these workforce cuts will make it harder for SBA to connect with small businesses.

“I saw an unmet need, if you will, from the small business owners to be able to get support from the agency, access to loans. And we need to deliver on that,” Syed said. “Cutting staff in the face of that unmet need… tells you that this is not going to help.”

Syed said that, including the recent firing of probationary employees, SBA is cutting nearly half its total workforce.

SBA fired about 300 probationary employees, but reinstated nearly all of them, according to documents the Trump administration filed with a U.S. District Court of Northern California. Politico, however, reported in February that SBA fired more than 700 probationary employees. 

Some agencies have put employees on paid administrative leave, instead of returning them to their jobs.

SBA says it will ensure 30% of its employees work in field locations beyond the D.C. metro area. Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chairwoman Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) proposed relocating 30% of SBA’s workforce to duty stations outside the D.C. metro area in a bill she introduced last month.

SBA announced earlier this month it’s shutting down regional offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, New York City, and Seattle “to less costly, more accessible locations that better serve the small business community.”

Syed said SBA saw record growth in new small businesses in some of those cities during his tenure and raised concerns about moving out of them.

“These are big metro areas. They are the engines of economic growth. The announcements of shutting down offices and more than half of the workforce being taken out do not give me confidence that these entrepreneurs across the country will have access to the resources they need,” he said.

Among its roles, SBA ensures the federal government meets its small business contracting goals. A record 28.4% of all federal contracting dollars went to small businesses in fiscal 2023.

Syed warned that the Trump administration’s policies could shift more federal contracting dollars to large tech companies, and away from smaller startups.

“We have a few big players who have, quite frankly, the inside track, and they are going to get access to these federal government enterprise-wide contracts at the expense of the next generation of great brands,” he said. “It’s always a startup that is coming up with an innovative product. It doesn’t normally come from big companies. So, it concerns me that we will, unfortunately, choke off access to federal government contracts for smaller companies — for startups.”

SBA says it will also exempt its Office of Advocacy and inspector general’s office from staffing cuts. President Donald Trump fired SBA Inspector General Hannibal “Mike” Ware in January — along with 16 other agency IGs.

SBA says it will get rid of “redundant pandemic-era positions” that processed loans for COVID-19 relief programs in the Office of Capital Access.

The agency said it will transfer disaster loan servicing functions and additional personnel into the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience. Employees there will also train other SBA personnel on disaster recovery efforts.

The SBA estimates $200 billion from its two biggest pandemic-era programs — the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) — went to “potentially fraudulent” recipients. That’s about 16% of the agency’s total spending on the EIDL and PPP programs.

SBA’s inspector general office and federal law enforcement agencies have recovered about $30 billion in fraudulent EIDL and PPP spending.

The post SBA to cut 43% of workforce, return to pre-pandemic staffing levels first appeared on Federal News Network.

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Politics

Black Lives Matter Activist in Boston Pleads Guilty to Federal Fraud Charges – Scammed Donors to Fund Her Lifestyle

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23 hours ago

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September 24, 2025

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Screencap of YouTube video.

A Black Lives Matter activist in Boston named Monica Cannon-Grant pleaded guilty to federal charges this week, admitting that she scammed donors and used their money to fund her own lavish lifestyle.

Cannon-Grant was previously held up as an admired figure. The city of Boston named her the Bostonian of the year at one point for her ‘social justice activism’ and she was even recognized by the Boston Celtics basketball team for her efforts.

She is now facing a minimum of two years in prison.

The New York Post reports:

BLM-linked activist admits conning donors to fund her lavish lifestyle

A once-celebrated Boston social activist has pleaded guilty to defrauding donors — including Black Lives Matter — out of thousands of dollars that she used as a personal piggy bank.

Monica Cannon-Grant, 44, pleaded guilty Monday to 18 counts of fraud-related crimes that she committed with her late husband while operating their Violence in Boston (VIB) activists group, according to the US Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts.

The activist scammed money — including $3,000 from a BLM group — while claiming it was to help feed children and run protests like one in 2020 over the murder of George Floyd and police violence.

Cannon-Grant also conned her way into getting $100,000 in federal pandemic-related unemployment benefits — which she used to pay off her personal auto loan and car insurance policy.

But she has now confessed to transferring funds to personal bank accounts to pay for rent, shopping sprees, delivery meals, visits to a nail salon — and even a summer vacation to Maryland.

Just amazing.

Here’s a local video report:

She should pay back every penny.

The post Black Lives Matter Activist in Boston Pleads Guilty to Federal Fraud Charges – Scammed Donors to Fund Her Lifestyle appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Keith Olbermann Backpedals Furiously With Apology for Threatening CNN’s Scott Jennings – Jennings Responds (VIDEO)

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23 hours ago

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September 24, 2025

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As the Gateway Pundit reported yesterday, former MSNBC host and generally unhinged leftist Keith Olbermann, appeared to threaten CNN’s conservative pundit Scott Jennings on Twitter saying, ‘You’re next motherf**ker.’

Well, Olbermann may have gotten a phone call or a visit from the FBI because today he walked back those comments with a full-throated apology.

RedState has an update:

To quickly recap, Scott Jennings, a Salem Media Network radio host and conservative CNN political commentator, reacted to breaking news on Monday that Kimmel had been reinstated by tweeting, “So basically his employer suspended him for being an insensitive pr**k, and we don’t live in an authoritarian regime? Got it.”

This enraged Olbermann, who proceeded to tweet what many, including Jennings, perceived to be a threat. “You’re next, motherf**ker. But keep mugging to the camera.” Jennings tagged Patel and included a screengrab of the tweets in response.

Though the FBI hasn’t commented as to whether an investigation was launched, Olbermann ostensibly appears to have thought twice about what he tweeted and deleted, apologizing profusely in tweets posted on Tuesday and claiming what he wrote was “misinterpreted”:

See Olbermann’s tweet below:

Scott Jennings, always a class act, offered this hilarious response:

Keith Olbermann really needs help. The guy is just so out of control.

The post Keith Olbermann Backpedals Furiously With Apology for Threatening CNN’s Scott Jennings – Jennings Responds (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Where is Lance Twiggs? Kirk Assassin’s Transgender Lover Has Vanished

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24 hours ago

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September 24, 2025

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Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson and roommate Lance Twiggs

Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson lived with his transgender partner – a male-to-female trans named Lance “Luna” Twiggs.

The FBI used Robinson’s texts with his transgender partner to solidify that Robinson was the assassin. Lance Twiggs has not been charged with any crime; however, federal authorities are still investigating.

Last week, Utah authorities released the text exchange between Tyler Robinson and his transgender lover, Lance Twiggs, sent shortly after Kirk’s assassination.

Utah County District Attorney Jeff Gray announced seven charges against Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson. They will also be seeking the death penalty.

Robinson was charged with:

– Count 1: Aggravated murder (capital offense)
– Count 2: Felony reckless discharge of a firearm causing bodily injury
– Count 3: Felony obstruction of justice for hiding the firearm
– Count 4: Felony obstruction of justice for discarding the clothing he wore during the shooting
– Count 5: Witness tampering for asking roommate to delete incriminating messages
– Count 6: Witness temperating for demanding trans roommate stay silent, and not speak to police
– Count 7: Commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child

Jeff Gray released the chilling texts between Tyler Robinson and his “love” Lance Twiggs.

Read the text exchange here:

Tyler Robinson texts with transgender lover Lance Twiggs / 1
Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson texts with transgender lover Lance Twiggs / 2

Lance Twiggs was reportedly cooperating with the FBI, however, according to the Daily Mail he has seemingly vanished.

“If [Lance Twiggs] ever comes back, it will be in a body bag,” a neighbor said to the Daily Mail. “That’s not a threat – I’m just saying that there are so many people who want a piece of him he’d be mad to show his face in public again. This was a generational event.”

The Daily Mail reported:

The Trans boyfriend of Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin has fled their former lovenest – and locals tell the Daily Mail they never want to see him again.

Lance Twiggs, 22, was led away for questioning when police swooped on the smart three-bed condo he shared with accused gunman Tyler Robinson, 22.

Shaken neighbors say the part time plumber has not been back to the $320,000 property in St. George, Utah – one declaring: ‘Good riddance. I never want to see either of them again.’

His beaten-up Infinity compact is still parked in his space with his work gear tossed across the back seat and a sandwich wrapper and a drink on the front passenger seat.

Upstairs lights have been left on for more than a week and notes and Amazon packages are piling up outside the home owned by Twiggs’s devout Mormon family.

The post Where is Lance Twiggs? Kirk Assassin’s Transgender Lover Has Vanished appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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