WASHINGTON – Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, the ranking member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, said she sent a letter to President-elect Barack Obama on Monday recommending that he elevate the Small Business Administration to Cabinet-level status, as it was during the Clinton administration in the 1990s.

With the economy mired in a recession and the national unemployment rate at 6.7 percent, Snowe said the SBA could help small businesses weather these difficult times and move toward economic recovery.

“During these challenging economic times, it is imperative that the SBA, the federal agency supporting the single-largest creator of jobs in this country, is part of every conversation President-elect Obama has about restoring confidence in the economy,” Snowe said in a statement.