Video: GOP congressman dies suddenly at 65

Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) died suddenly at the age of 65 on Monday during emergency surgery after experiencing a “medical emergency.” 

In a Tuesday press release, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office announced that a call was received from LaMalfa’s residence at roughly 6:50 p.m. on Monday with regard to a “medical emergency.”

“The call was transferred to medical personnel, who immediately responded to the residence. Congressman LaMalfa was transported to Enloe Hospital for treatment,” the Butte County Sheriff’s Office stated. “Upon arrival at Enloe Hospital, Congressman LaMalfa was taken into emergency surgery. Congressman LaMalfa passed away during the surgical procedure.” 

The 65-year-old California representative’s death was confirmed Tuesday morning in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, by House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.).

“Jacquie and I are devastated about the sudden loss of our friend, Congressman Doug LaMalfa,” Emmer wrote. “Doug was a loving father and husband, and staunch advocate for his constituents and rural America. Our prayers are with Doug’s wife, Jill, and their children.”

CBS News reported that LaMalfa was the chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus and represented Northern California’s 1st Congressional District. The California Republican represented the 1st Congressional District in the House of Representatives from 2013 until his death on Monday. 

During a speech to House Republicans at the Trump-Kennedy Center on Tuesday, President Donald Trump described LaMalfa as a “great, great member,” a “fantastic person,” and “a defender of everybody.”  

“I was really saddened by his passing and was thinking about not even doing the speech in his honor,” Trump said. “But then I decided that I have to do it in his honor. I’ll do it in his honor because he would’ve wanted it that way.”

“He would’ve said, ‘Do that speech! Are you kidding me? Do the speech,’” the president added. “He was a fantastic person. Man, that was a quick one. I don’t know quite yet what happened, but boy is that a tough one. He was just with us. He was our friend. All of us, every one of us.”

According to Fox News, the Republican congressman’s sudden death on Monday, combined with the official resignation of former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), leaves the Republican Party with only 218 members, while Democrats currently have 213 members and four vacancies remain in the congressional chamber. The outlet noted that House Republicans can only lose the support of two Republican members to pass legislation without the support of any Democrats.