Listener supported WNYC Studios.

It's the Brian Laird Show on WNYC. I'm Bridget Bergen, senior reporter in the WNYC and Gothamist Newsroom.

Happy Passover to our Jewish listeners. One quick note about Brian. Some of you may have heard him

talking about this last week, but he'll be out this week for cataract surgery on his second eye.

He had the first eye done a couple weeks ago and we'll be back this week for cataract surgery on his second eye. He had the first eye done a

couple of weeks ago and we'll be back next week. Brian, we're thinking of you. We hope you feel better.

Coming up on today's show, we'll talk about the major impact President Trump's tariffs are already

having and will have on our local economy. Between Wall Street, small businesses that are struggling

to figure out their new costs, the city and state budgets and tourism, the effects of the

trade war are already being felt here. Plus, for our centennial series, 100 years of 100 things,

we'll look at the 100-year history of Catholics in the United States.

It's also the centennial of the Liberal Catholic Magazine Commonwealth, so my guest to guide us through

will be the magazine's editor. And lastly, tomorrow is tax day, so procrastinators, you know,

we're going to give you some advice on how to get it done or maybe how to file that extension.

But first, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are both in spring recess, and given all the

news coming out of the Trump administration last week, especially related to trade policy,

you might have missed some of the drama over the nation's budget. While we are far from a

final spending plan, Republicans in the Senate and House both adopted blueprints that will pave

the way for specific legislation that will detail tax and spending cuts. But getting to this point

did not come without some drama for the majority Republican Party.

So joining me now to catch us up on where things stand and what to watch for while lawmakers are in recess and when they return later this month is Katie Edmondson, congressional correspondent for the New York

Times. Katie, welcome back to WNYC. Good morning. Thanks for having me.

...