Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., died Monday at the age of 65, President Donald Trump announced. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
Rep. Doug LaMalfa, who represented California’s 1st Congressional District for more than a decade, has died, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday during a meeting of Republican lawmakers. He was 65.
Trump revealed the news during a Republican retreat at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
“I want to express our tremendous sorrow at the loss of a great member, a great, great, great member, Congressman Doug LaMalfa, who passed away yesterday, as you probably have heard,” the president said.
“He was the leader of the Western Caucus, a fierce champion on California water issues. He was great on water,” Trump added, calling LaMalfa a “true defender of American children.”
“He was a defender of everybody. And our hearts go out to his wife, Jill, and his entire family. He voted with me 100% of the time.”
Other Republican lawmakers confirmed LaMalfa’s death through statements and social media posts, but his cause of death wasn’t revealed. NBC News reported that LaMalfa appeared in good spirits, joking with colleagues ahead of the holidays.
House Republican White Tom Emmer described LaMalfa’s death as “sudden” in a post on X.
“Doug was a loving father and husband, and staunch advocate for his constituents and rural America. Our prayers are will Doug’s wife, Jill, and their children,” Emmer wrote.
LaMalfa, a rice farmer, had represented the 1st Congressional District in California since 2013. Prior to that he was elected to California’s state legislature.
His death, along with the resignation of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, narrows the Republican Party’s majority in the U.S. House to 218-213, The Hill reported. Two other House seats are open — that of former Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Texas, which heads to a runoff on Jan. 31, and the seat of former Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., which is expected to go to a special election on April 16.
Notable deaths of 2025
Isiah Whitlock Jr.Actor Isiah Whitlock Jr. arrives on the red carpet for the premiere of HBO’s “Vice” in New York City on April 2, 2013. Whitlock Jr., known for his roles on “The Wire” and “Veep,” died at the age of 71 on December 30. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
