West-central Missouri Congressman Mark Alford wants the U.S. Small Business Administration to move its regional office from Kansas City to Columbia.
The request follows a directive by the Trump Administration to move regional SBA offices out of cities that have declared themselves sanctuaries for illegal immigrants. While Kansas City has not and cannot not declare itself a sanctuary city, Mayor Quinton Lucas last year publicly invited immigrants to move to KC to help bolster the city’s workforce.
Alford, R-Mo. 4th Dist., said Columbia would be a better home for the SBA’s regional office because it’s also home to the state’s Small Business Development Center at the University of Missouri. He made his request in a letter sent to SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler.
Meanwhile, Alford is sponsoring legislation that would force the SBA to move 30% of its Washington DC-based employees to other parts of the country “to be closer to the Americans they serve.” The bill is based on a 2023 study that found that the SBA headquarters building was operating at 10 percent capacity, with many employees working remotely.
Alford said his bill would boost support for small businesses while reducing spending on “unused office space.”
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