By Hannah Gaskill
Baltimore Sun
(TNS)
Small Business Administration leader Kelly Loeffler took to a Baltimore brewery Thursday to highlight the benefits of President Donald Trump’s recently signed “big, beautiful bill.”
“What we want to make sure is that we’re moving people into an economy where they can have good-paying jobs, where they can have benefits provided by great companies like this that help their workers climb that ladder of success,” Loeffler, the SBA administrator, said of Checkerspot Brewing Company in Pigtown. “We want to have an economy that lifts up all workers—that provides an on-ramp into the economy, as opposed to incentivizing people not being a part of the economy.”
Loeffler took a tour through the Checkerspot Brewing Company in Baltimore’s Pigtown neighborhood, which is owned by Judy and Rob Neff. They showed Loeffler machinery in their actual brewing space, which grew from an endeavor in the kitchen of their house to a warehouse and neighborhood mainstay.
The Neffs showed Loeffler through their brewing process and gave her a taste of their “The Bird is the Word” Honey Kolsch—a beer inspired by the city’s bird-inspired sports teams, the Orioles and the Ravens.
Asked how they feel about Trump’s signature bill, Judy Neff said, “We’re just like supporters of the SBA. We’re happy that the SBA is intact and still here to help small businesses,” noting that the largest benefit will be felt by their tipped employees. The president’s “no tax on tips” plan in the bill allows workers to deduct $25,000 in tips annually from their income.
Loeffler underscored the provisions of the bill that cut taxes for workers who receive tips and work overtime hours.
According to Loeffler, 21% of Marylanders work overtime.
“When they work overtime, they’re keeping that money in their pockets instead of them paying more in taxes due to overtime.” she said.
Loeffler also pointed to the 5% of tipped workers who will be able to keep those tips in their pockets.
“Spend it on Main Street or save it for the future,” she said.
Jess Leal is a beer tender at Checkerspot who also works at other breweries. She said that no taxes on tips will “definitely make a difference” for her.
“I think being able to see all of that money that is given to you and actually getting to see that number back is going to be a significant change,” Leal said.
Additionally, Loeffler said the small business benefits of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” allow business owners to deduct up to 20% of their qualified business income.
According to Loeffler, Trump’s bill will affect approximately 86,000 small businesses in Maryland.
She said that the money they accrue can be used to ensure that business owners can add additional jobs or make investments. Loeffler said it also lowers taxes for “hard-working” families making between $15,000 and $80,000 annually, and “doubles the child tax credit.”
“The list goes on and on,” she said.
Some Marylanders, including the state’s Democratic leaders, oppose the passage of the bill, largely because they say it takes health care access away from those who need it most.
More than 1.5 million adults and nearly half of all children in Maryland are covered by Medicaid, according to the state Department of Health.
One of the most stringent Medicaid measures under the “big, beautiful bill” is the requirement that recipients will have to fulfill 80 hours of work or community service activities each month starting in 2027.
Loeffler said that “the good news is” that work requirements under Trump’s policy bill are “pretty minimal.”
Advocates worry that changes to an already complicated system could exacerbate the difficulty low-income Marylanders have in adequately receiving and maintaining health care access. For example, the current Medicaid system has a yearly recertification requirement, where recipients must demonstrate that they still qualify.
Under Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” that annual recertification would be reduced to six months, giving recipients a shorter window to show why they still qualify.
To the detractors, Loeffler said Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” is a “pro-growth, pro-worker” bill that makes sure that there are “permanent tax cuts for small businesses.”
“This is not a corporate tax cut bill,” she said. “This is not a tax cut bill for the rich.”
Photo caption: Kelly Loeffler speaks during a Senate hearing on her confirmation as head of the Small Business Administration on Jan. 29, 2025.
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©2025 Baltimore Sun. Visit baltimoresun.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC.
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