House GOP Rep Doug LaMalfa dead at 65

House GOP Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., has passed away at age 65.

LaMalfa represented part of Northern California and was chair of the Congressional Western Caucus.

His death brings House Republicans’ majority down to 218 to 213. 

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., confirmed LaMalfa’s death on X.

Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., leaves the House Republican Conference caucus meeting at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington, Nov. 29, 2023.  (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“Jacquie and I are devastated about the sudden loss of our friend, Congressman Doug LaMalfa. 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,” Emmer said.

LaMalfa was known as a champion of conservative causes as well as a kind man to both reporters and his fellow House lawmakers.

With his death and the recent resignation of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., House Republicans currently can lose only two votes to still pass anything along party lines.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks to members of the press on the steps of the House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol on May 8, 2024. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

It’s a perilously slim majority as Republicans kick off the second half of the 119th Congress with hopes of passing a second “big, beautiful bill.”

LaMalfa’s death appears to have caught a majority of his colleagues by surprise, with tributes pouring out for the late congressman on Tuesday morning.

“Doug was a principled conservative and a tireless advocate for the people of Northern California. He was never afraid to fight for rural communities, farmers, and working families. Doug brought grit, authenticity, and conviction to everything he did in public service,” said National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C.

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, a Republican from Minnesota, during a television interview at the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

LaMalfa’s House GOP colleague from California, Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., said in a statement, “Doug was not only a respected colleague in the California Republican Delegation, but a genuinely kind, decent man who treated everyone with warmth and respect. His leadership, friendship, and steady presence will be deeply missed.”

The news comes just as House Republicans are meeting for an all-day policy brainstorming session at the newly renamed Trump Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

President Donald Trump is addressing GOP lawmakers on Tuesday morning to kick off the day’s events.