SPRINGFIELD — There are no formal plans in place to reopen the Small Business Administration office closed in Springfield as part of cost-cutting efforts by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
This, according to a letter from the General Services Administration to congressional members representing Western Massachusetts on Monday. The GSA manages the properties of the federal government.
In June, SBA head Kelly Loeffler had told lawmakers that the Springfield branch office would be relocated to a more cost-efficient space, and there would “be no loss of service.”
The office at 1 Federal St. closed on June 1, one of 17 leases that DOGE had terminated across the state. It was staffed by one person who provided technical assistance for SBA-backed business loans and built relationships with area lenders.
The lawmakers — U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, and U.S. Reps. Richard Neal and Jim McGovern — asked the GSA at the beginning of March about the status of the Springfield office reopening efforts.
It was the third time since May 2025 that lawmakers, led by Markey’s office, had sent letters asking about the status of the Springfield SBA office.
But the GSA said this week it had taken no steps to find a space to which the office could relocate, because the SBA did not request it.
“GSA does not currently have a requirement from the SBA to obtain new space for a branch office in western Massachusetts,” wrote Mark O’Connell, who is part of the GSA’s office of congressional and intergovernmental affairs. “Consequently, we have not undertaken any specific actions related to identifying potential locations, conducting market research, or developing detailed timelines for a new SBA branch in that region.”
A spokesperson for the SBA did not return a request for comment about the GSA’s letter.
A staffer with Markey’s office said months ago the SBA had told congressional staff that the reopening of the office had been delayed by the GSA, but the letter shows the SBA had not even reached out to the GSA about the subject.
Markey’s office requested a follow-up briefing about the Springfield SBA office, the staffer said.
GSA tells lawmakers: No current plans to reopen Springfield SBA office
