A House Ethics Committee subcommittee is putting a Democratic congresswoman from Florida on the fast track for possible expulsion.
On Friday, one day after a rare public hearing into the conduct of Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida, an investigative subcommittee of the full committee approved a motion for summary judgment against Cherfilus-McCormick on 25 of 27 allegations against her, which is tantamount to a guilty verdict on the allegations, according to Fox News.
Cherfilus-McCormick is accused of misusing at least $2 million in COVID relief funding that ended up in her 2022 campaign account.
Congressional allegations against her include using ineligible money for her campaign, filing false campaign finance reports, and asking for “special favors” from groups to whom she targeted earmark funding.
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick stole $5 MILLION of your tax dollars, and she still won’t resign.
If you steal from the American people, you don’t belong in Congress. You belong behind bars. pic.twitter.com/BgoLxUbM9D
— Congressman Greg Steube (@RepGregSteube) March 26, 2026
Rep. Greg Steube, a Florida Republican, has said he will seek to expel Cherfilus-McCormick if the full House Ethics Committee does not begin the process to do so when it meets after the Easter recess.
Expulsion would require Democratic support, which as of Friday appeared possible.
“You can’t crime your way into legitimate power,” Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington posted on X.
“Since she was found guilty, she should resign or be removed,” she wrote.
You can’t crime your way into legitimate power.
Since she was found guilty, she should resign or be removed.#ethics https://t.co/cgQuhplhzF
— Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (@RepMGP) March 27, 2026
“The allegations before us are extremely serious,” Democratic Rep. Mark Desaulnier of California said even before the hearing Thursday, according to Fox News.
“They not only concern an individual member’s conduct, they also implicate the public’s confidence in the House’s integrity as an institution.”
NEW: Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was found guilty of House Ethics violations, likely laying the groundwork to expel the embattled Florida Democrat. https://t.co/FBJ1ljNGpj
— POLITICO (@politico) March 27, 2026
A federal grand jury indicted Cherfilus-McCormick in November, alleging that $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funding improperly went to Cherfilus-McCormick and her family, according to a Department of Justice news release.
It began when FEMA sent Trinity Healthcare Services, owned by the legislator’s family, a $5 million overpayment that was never returned.
Fox News noted that Cherfilus-McCormick had been under congressional investigation since 2023, during which she has stonewalled requests for information.
Sydney Bellwoar, senior counsel for the ethics panel, said Cherfilus-McCormick and her family “funneled more than $500,000 originating from Trinity into various outside organizations that made expenditures on behalf of the campaign,” according to NBC.
Bellwoar said “the most egregious example” came on June 23, 2021, when Trinity transferred $2 million directly to Cherfilus-McCormick, who shipped the cash to her campaign account.
Later, the candidate “returned the money to herself nearly in full,” according to the report.
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