House Speaker Mike Johnson is heading into the midterm year with a razor-thin Republican majority after the tragic and sudden passing of one GOP lawmaker.
California Rep. Doug LaMalfa represented the 1st Congressional District in Northern California and was chairman of the Western Caucus. He was just 65 years old.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer announced that the congressman had passed away suddenly in a post on X on Tuesday.
“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,” Emmer wrote. “Our prayers are with Doug’s wife, Jill, and their children.”
Trump also offered his condolences in a speech to GOP lawmakers at the Kennedy Center on Tuesday, adding that LaMalfa had voted with him 100 percent of the time.
LaMalfa had posted on social media as recently as Saturday when he praised the U.S. military for its strike on Venezuela and capture of former President Nicolas Maduro.
The unexpected passing of the lawmaker leaves the GOP majority in the House at just 218, compared to Democrats’ 213.
It gives Johnson just a two-vote margin to pass legislation, but with GOP Rep. Thomas Massie regularly going against House leadership, he can likely stand to lose just one vote.
At the same time, 80-year-old Indiana GOP Rep. Jim Baird is in the hospital following a car accident.
Meanwhile, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene officially stepped down from Congress after clashing with President Donald Trump, her one-time close MAGA ally.
The other two vacancies in the House were seats held by Democrats.
Former Rep. Mikie Sherrill stepped down from representing New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District last year after winning the off-year gubernatorial race. She will be sworn in as governor later this month. The special election to replace her will take place on April 16.
A special election to fill the seat vacated by late Texas Rep. Sylvester Turner took place last November, but no candidate received a majority of the vote, so a runoff will be held on January 31. The winner will finish Turner’s term in the safe blue district.
Johnson has seen his control over the slim GOP caucus slipping before even entering the election year.
A group of Republican lawmakers bucked his wishes and signed onto the discharge petition to force the vote to release the Epstein files.
Last month, another group of moderate GOP members signed onto the discharge petition to force a vote on an extension of the enhanced Obamacare subsidies after GOP House leadership refused to hold a vote. That bill is expected to get a vote under the rules of the discharge petition this week.
But talking at the Kennedy Center, Trump insisted Johnson had his total support.
