BREAKING: Congressman Passes Away Just Hours After Trump Speech

A member of Congress died just hours after appearing for President Donald Trump’s speech Tuesday night, sending shockwaves across Washington, D.C.

Sylvester Turner (D-TX) died after sitting in the U.S. House chamber for the duration of Trump’s 100-minute barnburner of a speech, according to colleagues. He was 70 years old.

Social media posts from Turner’s office show the former Houston mayor present and making his way through congressional hallways, leaving fellow Democrats blindsided by his passing. He previously told a local news station that he was receiving treatment for a form of jaw cancer.

“My message to the current administration for tonight’s State of the Union: ‘Don’t mess with Medicaid,” Turner said in a prebuttal post on X. “I am proud to have Angela Hernandez here from our Congressional district as my guest. She is representing and advocating for her daughter Baislee Garcia who has a rare genetic disorder Chromosome 8p: Inversion/Duplication/Deletion.”

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His final post concluded: “Let me be clear: any cuts to Medicaid are a direct attack on families like Angela’s. President Trump and Elon Musk’s push to gut Medicaid is nothing short of a betrayal of the most vulnerable among us. They are playing politics with children’s lives, and I will not stand for it.”

Turner was elected to the House last year, winning a crowded Democratic primary to replace former congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee who also died in office. Previously he had served as Houston’s mayor since 2016.

He is one of nine children and a graduate of the University of Houston and Harvard Law, according to the Daily Mail.

Republican Rep. Brandon Weber (R-TX) wrote about his colleague, “Brenda Gail and I are heartbroken by the passing of my friend Sylvester Turner. We served together in the Texas House, and I had the honor of working alongside him in Congress, even if only for a short time. He was a devoted public servant who cared deeply for Houstonians. Just last night, we spoke on the House Floor—life is too short. We are praying for his family, friends, and all who are mourning his passing.”

Alabama Democrat Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) wrote: “I’m saddened to hear of the passing of my colleague, Congressman Sylvester Turner. He leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of service as Mayor of Houston and the Representative for Texas’ 18th Congressional District. May he Rest in Peace.”

A special election will likely take place to fill Turner’s seat, but in the meantime, it leaves Democrats at an even deeper numbers disadvantage. Republicans have relied on a three-vote majority to push through expansive parts of President Donald Trump’s agenda, and Turner’s absence gives Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) some breathing room as he prepares to receive U.S. Senate markups to his recently passed government funding bill.