ISABEL GUZMAN

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has confirmed that he will not attend the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles this week, dealing a blow to the event hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden.

When leaders gather this week in Los Angeles at the Summit of the Americas, the focus is likely to veer from policy issues like migration, climate change and inflation and instead shift to something Hollywood thrives on: the drama of the red carpet.

Treasury Secretary Yellen is under fire from Democrats and Republicans alike for skipping an appearance before Congress required by law.

Biden Restaurants In this March 30, 2021 photo, President Joe Biden signs the PPP Extension Act of 2021, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Biden is promoting his $28.6 billion program to help the restaurants, bars and food trucks hurt by the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (Evan Vucci)The Biden administration is highlighting early applications for a $28.6 billion program for eateries that closed, shifted to take-out or restricted the number of diners to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The White House said Wednesday that 186,200 restaurants, bars and other eligible businesses had applied for the program over its first two days of accepting applications. For the program's first 21 days, applications from women, veterans and socially and economically disadvantaged people will have priority for being reviewed and funded.

Salazar, a small business owner for 30 years, told Harris that help from the Small Business Administration has "kept me afloat but more is needed.”In Pennsylvania, meanwhile, Smith Flooring had 23 employees during peak times but currently is employing 12 workers. In Washington, the Senate confirmed Isabel Guzman, Biden’s pick to lead the Small Business Administration on Tuesday. It’s a sharp turn from the start of the Biden administration, when vaccination goals were relatively modest and Americans were warned the country might not return to normal until Christmas. AdThe Biden administration estimates that 400,000 small businesses have closed because of the pandemic and millions more are barely surviving. It recently qualified for a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan during a two-week window in which the Biden administration focused the program exclusively on helping businesses with 20 or fewer employees.

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)WASHINGTON – The Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved President Joe Biden's pick to oversee the Small Business Administration, an agency that has seen its portfolio expand in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Guzman is a former Obama administration SBA official who currently heads California’s Office of the Small Business Advocate. In that role, she oversaw efforts to help that state’s small businesses survive the pandemic. The Small Business Administration oversees loan programs to help businesses recover from natural disasters, enhances access to capital through loan guarantees and provides training and technical assistance. Guzman said she would work to ensure money gets into the hands of the small businesses hurt the most by the pandemic and the economic crisis through no fault of their own.

Isabel Guzman, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) nominee for U.S. President Joe Biden, is sworn in during a Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021. The Senate confirmed Isabel Guzman to head the Small Business Administration on Tuesday, putting her in charge of helping to lead Main Street beyond the damage wrought by Covid-19. Guzman had served as director of California's Office of the Small Business Advocate. She has overseen small business relief for the country's largest state throughout the pandemic. Now, she will take the effort nationwide as SBA administrator at a time when small businesses have struggled to keep their doors open.

Isabel Guzman is poised to take the reins of the Small Business Administration in an unprecedented landscape for small businesses devastated by the ongoing pandemic. At the time, more than 30% of small businesses said it was unlikely they could survive until sales recovered without government help. While 57% of businesses characterized their financial situations as "fair" or "poor" last fall, that grew to 79% among of Asian-owned businesses, 77% among Black-owned businesses and 66% among Hispanic-owned small businesses. This comes as the Senate Small Business Committee held a confirmation hearing Wednesday for Guzman, Biden's nominee to lead the Small Business Administration, the agency primarily responsible for administering COVID relief for small businesses. According to the SBA, there are more than 30 million small businesses in the United States, which includes those who employ less than 500 employees.