JNS
“May he be remembered as a great friend to Israel,” stated Rabbi David Katz, executive director of the Israel Heritage Foundation.
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed “tremendous sorrow” on Tuesday after Doug LaMalfa, a Republican congressman from California, died suddenly at age 65, reportedly after emergency surgery.
Addressing the House Republican conference, Trump called the congressman “a great, great, great member,” per the White House pool report. “I was really saddened by his passing.”
First elected in 2012, LaMalfa was a fourth-generation rice farmer who represented the northern part of the state, chaired the Congressional Western Caucus and was a member of the Agriculture, Natural Resources and Transportation Committees.
His death reduces the House Republican majority to 218-213, meaning the GOP majority can afford only two defections if it wants to pass legislation without any Democratic support.
LaMalfa faced a tough road to re-election this fall, as his district was redrawn to make it more Democratic. (California voters supported their own redistricting in response, they said, to Texas’s mid-decade effort to create more Republican House seats in the Lone Star State.)
LaMalfa appeared on C-SPAN more than any other House member except Reps. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) and Don Davis (D-N.C.).
A strong supporter of Israel, he received the maximum $10,000 for his 2024 re-election campaign from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s political action committee.
“We send our deepest condolences and join in praying for the LaMalfa family during this incredibly difficult time,” the Republican Jewish Coalition stated. “May Congressman Doug LaMalfa’s memory be a blessing forever.”
Condolences poured in from politicians of both parties.
“Congress is devastated to learn this morning about the passing of our dear friend and colleague,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) stated. “He was as fierce of a fighter for his state’s vast natural resources and beauty as we have ever known.”
“We are mourning the loss of our friend and brother today, and we send our respects for his life and work to his wife Jill and the LaMalfa family during this difficult time,” Johnson stated.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) offered similar sentiments. “I join people across Northern California in mourning the untimely passing of Congressman Doug LaMalfa,” he stated. “Doug and I joined the Congress as classmates in 2013, and it was an honor to witness firsthand his passion and personal resolve for more than a decade.”
“We mourn with Doug’s wife and children. May God watch over his family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” Jeffries said.
Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said LaMalfa “brought grit, authenticity and conviction to everything he did in public service.”
“Doug was a principled conservative and a tireless advocate for the people of Northern California,” Hudson stated. “He was never afraid to fight for rural communities, farmers and working families.”
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) called LaMalfa “a loving father and husband and staunch advocate for his constituents and rural America.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, stated that LaMalfa “was a devoted public servant, who deeply loved his country, his state and the communities he represented.”
“While we often approached issues from different perspectives, he fought every day for the people of California with conviction and care,” the governor stated. “He will be deeply missed.”
LaMalfa was “a friend and partner,” Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) stated. “Above all, he was deeply committed to his community and constituents, working to make life better for those he represented.”
Rabbi David Katz, executive director of the Israel Heritage Foundation, stated that LaMalfa was “a strong supporter of Israel.”
“LaMalfa consistently emphasized Israel’s right to self-defense and its status as a key U.S. ally, criticizing Hamas and Iran while voting for military and economic aid to Israel,” Katz stated. “He considered Israel a ‘close ally’ and the ‘only democracy in the Middle East,’ affirming Israel’s right to defend itself after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack.”
“LaMalfa labeled Hamas’s actions ‘savage’ and highlighted Iran’s threat. He voted for foreign security supplemental bills providing military aid to Israel,” he added. “May his memory be a blessing, and may he be remembered as a great friend to Israel.”
