EXCLUSIVE – Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia will make her first visit to Capitol Hill since President-elect Trump nominated her to steer the Small Business Administration (SBA) in his second term in the White House.

Fox News has learned that Loeffler will meet starting Tuesday with roughly a dozen Republican senators. Among those she’ll huddle with are Sen. John Barasso of Wyoming, who ranks third in GOP Senate leadership and is the incoming Majority Whip, and Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, the incoming chair of the Senate Small Business Committee.

Loeffler, who hails from a family of small business owners and entrepreneurs, was raised working on the family farm in Illinois. After becoming the first in her family to graduate college, she spent nearly three decades working her way up in the private sector.  

Along with her husband Jeff, Loeffler built a Fortune 500 financial services and technology company from 100 employees to 15,000. 

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Loeffler later launched another company, named Bakkt, as its founding CEO and first employee. She was also a part owner of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream.

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“As an entrepreneur and business leader who founded startups and helped build a Fortune 500 company, Senator Loeffler looks forward to meeting with her former colleagues this week to discuss empowering America’s job creators,” Loeffler spokesperson Caitlin O’Dea told Fox News in a statement. “She is honored to be President Trump’s choice to lead the SBA, and, if confirmed, looks forward to advancing his agenda to make the small business economy great again.”

U.S. President Donald Trump and Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) attend a campaign rally at Dalton Regional Airport on January 4, 2021, in Dalton, Georgia. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Loeffler and her husband have long been major donors to Republican causes and and candidates, including Trump. Loeffler serves as co-chair of the president-elect’s inaugural committee.

Trump called Loeffler, a longtime ally, “tremendous fighter” as he announced her nomination as SBA administrator.

And Ernst, in a statement, said that “as a successful business owner, Kelly knows what it takes to innovate and create jobs that support American families, and I am confident that she will fight to get Washington bureaucrats off the backs of our nation’s small businesses.”

Then-Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler speaks during a campaign event at Valdosta Regional Airport in Valdosta, Georgia, December 5, 2020. (REUTERS/Dustin Chambers)

While successful in the business world, Loeffler was not well known until becoming a politician.

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After GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson resigned from the Senate at the end of 2019 due to his deteriorating health, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia appointed Loeffler to fill Isakson’s unexpired term until the next regular election.

Loeffler narrowly lost to Democrat Raphael Warnock in a runoff election in January 2021, after no candidate topped 50% of the vote in a crowded field of contenders in the November 2020 Senate election.

A Florida man was arrested on child abuse allegations over accusations that he allegedly screamed obscenities and physically abused a child for about half an hour over a missing couch cushion, according to officials.

Lance Rachel Sr., 42, was charged with aggravated child abuse and battery by strangulation. He was booked into the Osceola County Jail.

The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said the incident happened on Dec. 7 at a home in Kissimmee, Florida, but that it was not reported until days later.

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The sheriff’s office opened an investigation into the incident on Dec. 11.

Rachel Sr. was angry because a couch cushion had been displaced and accused the child of lying, according to the sheriff’s office.

The suspect “maliciously” punished the child by screaming obscenities and physically abusing the child for 28 minutes, the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies said the incident happened on Dec. 7 at a home in Kissimmee, Florida, but that it was not reported until days later. (iStock)

Deputies said the victim was struck with a belt more than 50 times and was choked and called several disparaging names and other obscenities.

At one point, the suspect threatened to break the child’s jaw, according to deputies.

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Lance Rachel Sr. was angry because a couch cushion had been displaced and accused the child of lying, deputies said. (iStock)

Some of the event was captured on in-home surveillance cameras, deputies said.

On Dec. 16, deputies interviewed Kimberly Rachel, 35, who confirmed the incident happened. She was arrested and charged with failure to report known child abuse.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, is pushing to eliminate taxes on tips ahead of the commonwealth’s next legislative session.

This proposal would return an estimated $70 million annually to the pockets of Virginia workers, Youngkin’s office said Monday in a press release.

An end to taxes on tips could help more than 250,000 people in Virginia who work within the food service industry, the personal service industry such as hairstylists, the hospitality industry and others who receive tips through their employment in other industries.

“We have delivered over $5 billion in tax relief to date, and we remain committed to lowering the cost of living for hardworking Virginians. It’s their money, not the government’s,” Youngkin said in the release.

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“By removing tips from taxable income, it will directly increase the take-home pay of hundreds of thousands of Virginians and give them more buying power, which in turn will improve financial stability, stimulate local economies, and honor the value of their hard work,” he continued.

Virginia workers who earn tips would be able to claim a deduction on their state tax return if the income is included in their federal adjusted gross income, the release said.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin speaks at the Road to Majority Faith and Freedom Conference in Washington, D.C., on June 22. (Andrew Leyden/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“This is way to keep more money in their pocket as opposed to giving it to a government. We’re already running surpluses and therefore, no taxes on tips is going to become the manta in Virginia,” Youngkin said Monday during an appearance on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom.”

The governor’s proposal echoes President-elect Trump’s call during his campaign to end taxes on tips. Vice President Harris also expressed support for eliminating taxes on tips during her presidential campaign.

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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin speaks during the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Policy Conference at the Washington Hilton on June 22, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

The proposal comes ahead of the start of Virginia’s legislative session next month. It would require approval from the commonwealth’s General Assembly, and it is unclear if Democrats, who control both chambers, would support Youngkin’s proposal.

Next year, Virginia’s gubernatorial race will be held, where Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican, is expected to face off against U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat.