Washington is still benefiting from the late Senator Warren G. Magnuson's influence, even as Trump threatens his legacy

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

by Joel Connelly

The problem with telling Maggie stories nowadays is that you must stop and tell folks who Warren G. Magnuson was. He served this state in Congress for thirty-six years in the U.S. Senate, after having served several terms in the U.S. House.

I thought of Magnuson this week preparing a talk for Horizon House. I ought to think of him every time I turn on a light switch on a dark, raw mid-winter day.

An early memory is of Magnuson billboards featuring the senator’s visage and the slogan “Keeps Our State Moving.” President Kennedy poked fun envisioning Maggie coming to the Senate floor late in the afternoon, mumbling about offering an insignificant amendment, “and Grand Coulee Dam gets built.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration got the five hundred and fifty foot high dam built. But Maggie secured money to build its great third powerhouse, which heats and lights homes in this region during winter. Maggie was a power on — and eventually the chairman of — the money-steering Senate Appropriations Committee.

https://www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2026/01/washington-is-still-benefiting-from-the-late-senator-warren-g-magnusons-influence-even-as-the-trump-regime-threatens-his-legacy.html

[ribrepin]

1. I always liked Senator Magnuson

He was much older than me, but I remember his last campaign against Slade Gorton. I wanted to punch Slade Gorton in the mouth.