Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat from Florida, resigned from Congress on Tuesday, hours before the House Ethics Committee was set to consider her potential expulsion. She faces federal charges alleging she and her brother stole $5 million in disaster funds for her campaign. The resignation takes effect immediately.
Cherfilus-McCormick's departure came amid a House Ethics Committee investigation that found she committed 25 ethics violations, including breaking campaign finance laws. Prosecutors charged in November 2025 that she and her brother diverted $5 million in federal disaster funds—stemming from COVID-19 vaccination overpayments to their health care company—to finance her first congressional bid. She has denied the allegations and called the committee's process a 'witch hunt.' A federal judge in Miami last week postponed her trial until February 2027 due to ongoing evidence review, but the panel proceeded anyway, rejecting her new attorney's request for more time to prepare a defense. In her statement, Cherfilus-McCormick said: 'This was not a fair process. The Ethics committee refused my new attorney’s reasonable request for time to prepare my defense. By going forward with this process while a criminal indictment is pending, the Committee prevented me from defending myself.' She added: 'We should be very careful about the precedent we are setting. In this country, we do not punish people before due process is complete.' Her exit marks the third House resignation this month, following those of Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) amid sexual misconduct scandals. Swalwell denied assault and harassment claims but apologized to his family for unspecified errors. Gonzales admitted an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide. Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) faces a separate ethics probe that could lead to expulsion. The House now stands at 218 Republicans and 213 Democrats, with four vacancies, giving the GOP a slim two-vote cushion on party-line votes. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, will schedule a special election for the deep-blue district covering parts of Fort Lauderdale.
