1 month ago
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By KEVIN FREKING and MIKE CATALINI, Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Republican Doug LaMalfa, a California rice farmer who served seven terms in the U.S. House and was a reliable vote on President Donald Trump’s agenda, has died at age 65.
His death trims the Republicans’ narrow margin of control of the House to 218 seats to Democrats’ 213.
The congressman experienced a medical emergency on Monday night and was taken to a local hospital, where he died during a surgical procedure, the Butte County sheriff’s office said on Tuesday. Officials haven’t disclosed the cause of his death.
Trump expressed “tremendous sorrow” over LaMalfa’s death as he addressed a meeting of House Republicans on Tuesday, lamenting the loss of a lawmaker he championed as an ally for his agenda. He said the late congressman “wasn’t a 3 o’clock in the morning person” like other lawmakers he would call in the wee hours to lobby for their votes.
“He voted with me 100% of the time,” Trump said. “With Doug, I never had to call.”
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