Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick Resigns Minutes Before House Expulsion Vote
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from Congress minutes before a scheduled House expulsion vote.
The Florida Democrat quit moments before the House Ethics Committee was to vote on sanctions and a separate floor expulsion vote. The committee had found multiple ethics violations, with the Associated Press reporting 25 breaches of House rules and ethics. CBS said the panel found all but two of 27 allegations proven in a public ethics "trial" last month. She faces a federal indictment accusing her of stealing about $5 million in COVID-19 disaster relief funds and allegedly routing money through family businesses to support her 2022 campaign. She has pleaded not guilty and her lawyer said committee discipline could prejudice her criminal trial, which has been delayed into 2027. The Ethics probe executed 59 subpoenas, conducted 28 interviews and reviewed more than 33,000 pages of documents over two years. Local faith leaders and union officials submitted letters urging caution, arguing expulsion could temporarily leave hundreds of thousands of constituents without representation.
Early coverage emphasized Cherfilus-McCormick's defiant refusal to resign. Fox News published her statement saying "the answer is no" and reported Rep. Greg Steube would press for expulsion. Within hours, newer reporting from CBS, Fox and the New York Times documented a sharp reversal as she abruptly resigned minutes before a sanctions hearing and a floor vote. Ethics Chairman Michael Guest said the committee lost jurisdiction after her resignation, and the immediate political consequence included a restored GOP margin in the House. She also posted a social media statement saying she was "stepping away" and would not "play these political games."
Congressional Ethics and Corruption
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick
Congressional Ethics
U.S. Congress Ethics
Campaign Finance and COVID Relief Fraud
This story is compiled from 10 sources using AI-assisted curation and analysis. Original reporting is attributed below. Learn about our methodology.
📌 Key Facts
- Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick announced an immediate resignation, posting that she was 'stepping away,' minutes before a scheduled House Ethics Committee sanctions hearing and roughly 20 minutes before a planned floor expulsion vote; Ethics Chairman Michael Guest said the committee lost jurisdiction and canceled the hearing.
- The House Ethics Committee had found the bulk of the allegations against her proven—roughly two dozen violations (reports cite about 25 findings out of ~27 allegations)—after a two-year probe that issued 59 subpoenas, held 28 witness interviews and reviewed more than 33,000 pages of documents.
- The ethics findings center on allegations that Cherfilus-McCormick routed about $5 million in COVID/FEMA disaster-relief funds through her family's health-care business and relatives, including claims the money was used in part to support her 2022 campaign; she has pleaded not guilty and disputes the findings.
- She also faces a separate federal indictment (reported as a 15-count case) accusing her of stealing and laundering nearly $5 million in FEMA funds; she has pleaded not guilty and her criminal trial has been moved to early 2027 (reports specify February 2027).
- Republican Rep. Greg Steube had vowed to move to expel her after the Ethics Committee issued a punishment recommendation, and lawmakers including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said they would vote to expel if she did not resign; leaders and members reacted to the last‑minute timing and raised questions about special-election timing and political implications.
- Her lawyer argued that committee discipline would prejudice her criminal trial and said she was 'left with no choice' but to resign; at the same time local faith leaders, union officials and other constituents submitted letters urging the committee to proceed cautiously to avoid leaving hundreds of thousands without representation.
- Observers placed the resignation in a broader pattern of recent midterm departures, noting the near-concurrent resignations of Reps. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales amid misconduct probes and warning of possible retaliatory ethics actions (including attention on Rep. Cory Mills).
- Cherfilus-McCormick has filed for re-election but reported raising only about $11,000 in the first quarter, and it is unclear whether she will continue her campaign.
📰 Source Timeline (10)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
April 21, 2026
6:47 PM
Yet another resignation brings fresh shame to one of the worst Congresses ever
New information:
- MS NOW timing detail that her resignation came just minutes before a scheduled House Ethics Committee hearing on her case, not only before a floor expulsion vote.
- Updated House composition after her immediate resignation: 217 Republicans, 213 Democrats, 1 independent, explicitly noting it restores the GOP margin that existed before the recent New Jersey special election.
- Contextual tally that there have been 10 midterm resignations in the current 119th Congress over roughly a year and a half, framed as an unusually high number compared with typical midterm departures.
6:38 PM
Cherfilus-McCormick resigns from Congress before Ethics hearing on sanctions
New information:
- She submitted her resignation moments before the House Ethics Committee was to decide sanctions, causing the committee to lose jurisdiction and cancel the hearing.
- Ethics Chairman Michael Guest publicly noted that the panel no longer had jurisdiction and that there would be no sanctions hearing.
- Her federal trial on charges of stealing nearly $5 million in FEMA funds has been pushed back to February 2027.
- Her lawyer argued that committee discipline would prejudice her criminal trial by signaling guilt to potential jurors, saying she was 'left with no choice' but to resign.
- CBS details that last month’s public Ethics 'trial' found all but two of 27 allegations proven, and that she had said just days earlier she would not resign.
- CBS frames her as the third member of Congress to step aside over misconduct allegations in the past week, alongside Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales.
6:31 PM
Florida Democrat Resigns From Congress 20 Minutes Before Expulsion Vote
New information:
- New York Times pegs the timing as roughly 20 minutes before the House was set to vote on expelling Cherfilus-McCormick.
- Article emphasizes that leadership had teed up an actual floor expulsion vote, underscoring how rare and severe the pending sanction was.
- Additional on-the-record reaction from House leaders and Florida delegation members about the last-minute resignation and next steps for filling the seat (special election timing and political implications).
6:23 PM
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigns before facing ethics panel meeting
New information:
- CBS piece explicitly states she resigned "moments before" a House Ethics Committee meeting to determine whether punishment was warranted for alleged misconduct.
- Confirms CBS framing that the panel meeting was to decide on discipline, not just to review findings, reinforcing that her resignation preempted a sanctions decision.
- Reiterates that she has been charged with stealing nearly $5 million in FEMA funds and has pleaded not guilty, aligning the ethics matter with the existing federal criminal case.
6:03 PM
Indicted Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick to resign from Congress amid expulsion threat
New information:
- Cherfilus-McCormick posted a statement on social media saying she resigns from the 119th Congress 'effective immediately' and is 'stepping away' rather than 'play these political games.'
- House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest announced the committee has lost jurisdiction over her case because of her decision to quit Congress.
- Rep. Greg Steube had pledged to file an expulsion motion, and her resignation came just minutes before a scheduled Ethics Committee sanctions hearing.
- Fox article reiterates she faces a 15-count federal indictment with a maximum of 53 years in prison and notes her trial is not scheduled until early 2027.
- She has filed to run for re-election but raised only about $11,000 in the first quarter, and it is unclear if she will suspend her campaign.
- Fox piece notes that Reps. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales also left Congress last week while facing possible expulsion votes over unrelated sexual misconduct allegations.
6:00 PM
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick says she will resign from Congress following ethics violations
New information:
- Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick publicly announced she will resign from Congress following the Ethics Committee's findings.
- Article reiterates she faces a federal criminal trial in Miami early next year on charges tied to allegedly stealing up to $5 million in FEMA funds and laundering the money.
- MS NOW connects her planned resignation to a recent pattern of members leaving under Ethics scrutiny, citing the resignations of Reps. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales.
- The piece highlights that several political and faith-based organizations submitted letters urging against expulsion on representation grounds before the sanctions hearing.
- The story quotes Ethics ranking member Rep. Mark DeSaulnier and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez underscoring institutional integrity and calling for resignation or removal.
5:52 PM
WATCH LIVE: House lawmakers weigh punishment for Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick for ethics violations
New information:
- The House Ethics Committee is holding a punishment hearing Tuesday at 2 p.m. EDT to decide its recommendation for Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick.
- Republican Rep. Greg Steube says he will move to expel Cherfilus-McCormick once the Ethics Committee issues its punishment recommendation.
- The article explicitly ties the Ethics case to her separate federal criminal charges alleging she stole roughly $5 million in COVID-19 disaster relief and used it, in part, to buy a 3-carat yellow diamond ring.
- Cherfilus-McCormick again asserts she is not guilty of either the ethics violations or the criminal charges and has pleaded not guilty in court.
- A letter from local faith leaders, union officials and others in her district urges the Ethics Committee to proceed cautiously, warning their decision could leave hundreds of thousands of constituents without representation.
- The piece notes that an expulsion push against Cherfilus-McCormick could trigger Democrats to seek expulsion of Rep. Cory Mills, who is under a separate, ongoing wide-ranging Ethics Committee investigation.
- The story details that the Ethics investigation generated 59 subpoenas, 28 witness interviews and more than 33,000 pages of documents.
12:02 PM
Lawmakers weigh sanctions for Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida
New information:
- AP specifies that the House Ethics Committee is meeting Tuesday to decide what punishment to recommend after finding 25 House rules and ethics violations, including campaign finance breaches.
- Details that Florida overpaid the family health care business by roughly $5 million in COVID disaster relief, and alleges she routed that money through businesses and family members to fund her 2022 campaign.
- Reports the Ethics probe’s scope: 59 subpoenas issued, 28 witness interviews conducted, and more than 33,000 pages of documents reviewed over two years.
- Notes Cherfilus-McCormick declined to testify at an earlier Ethics hearing, invoking her Fifth Amendment right, and that her lawyer complained the committee did not allow a full-scale ethics trial with defense witnesses.
- Adds organized support letters from local faith leaders, union officials and others urging caution because sanctions or expulsion could leave hundreds of thousands of constituents without representation.
- Clarifies that Rep. Greg Steube plans to move for expulsion after the Ethics Committee issues its punishment recommendation and links that move to potential Democratic retaliation targeting Rep. Cory Mills, who faces an ongoing wide-ranging Ethics investigation.
- Places this case in sequence with the recent resignations of Reps. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales, who stepped down during separate ethics probes to avoid expulsion votes.
11:00 AM
Indicted Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick refuses to resign as expulsion vote looms
New information:
- Rep. Greg Steube vows to force a House floor vote on expelling Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick as soon as Tuesday, regardless of the Ethics Committee's recommended sanction.
- Cherfilus-McCormick publicly states she will not resign, saying, "For those asking whether I plan to resign, the answer is no."
- Article reiterates that she was found guilty of more than two dozen ethics violations tied to over $5 million in disaster relief funds allegedly funneled through her family's healthcare company and notes she faces a separate federal criminal trial after a 2025 indictment.
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she will vote to expel Cherfilus-McCormick if the congresswoman does not resign, explicitly citing the Ethics Committee's verdict.
- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says Democrats will decide their position after the Ethics Committee proceedings conclude, and the Congressional Black Caucus has remained largely silent while having contributed $5,000 to her.
- The piece notes that Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales recently resigned under expulsion threats, and Rep. Cory Mills also faces a looming expulsion vote, framing a broader pattern.