Update: Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick announced her resignation shortly before the hearing was set to begin. Read the latest here. Our earlier story is below.
By Caitlin Yilek
Updated on: April 21, 2026 / 8:17 PM EDT / CBS News
Washington — The House Ethics Committee scheduled a public hearing Tuesday at 2 p.m. to determine whether any punishment is warranted for Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, three weeks after concluding she was guilty of more than two dozen charges stemming from an alleged campaign finance scheme.
In November, the Justice Department charged the Florida Democrat with stealing $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds for her campaign. She has pleaded not guilty to 15 counts in the federal indictment and has denied wrongdoing.
After a lengthy investigation, the bipartisan Ethics Committee released a 59-page report in January saying there was “substantial reason to believe” the congresswoman violated multiple federal laws and House rules. The investigation found “substantial evidence of conduct consistent with the allegations in the indictment, as well as more extensive misconduct,” the report said.
Committee investigators alleged Cherfilus-McCormick spent the funds on luxury goods, including jewelry from Tiffany & Co.; a Tesla; designer clothing; high-end hotels; and a cruise.
“The 25 violations at issue here are very serious standing on their own,” the committee’s counsel wrote in a memorandum ahead of the hearing. “The scope and continuous nature of the conduct, as well as Respondent’s failure to take responsibility for wrongdoing, may be considered as aggravating factors.”
Short of expulsion, the committee could recommend censure, fines or a reprimand, and other measures such as removal from committee assignments, reduction in seniority or requiring an apology.
Last month, the panel’s adjudicatory subcommittee held a rare public “trial,” after which it determined that 25 of the 27 allegations in the committee’s report “had been proven.”
Republican Rep. Greg Steube of Florida said he has been waiting for the Ethics Committee to finish before pushing for a floor vote on expulsion.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, called the panel’s findings “alarming” and said it would be “the consensus of this body that she should be expelled.” He added that the facts are “indisputable at this point.” Johnson noted that members facing expulsion often resign before a committee recommendation and an expulsion vote, pointing to recent examples of members who resigned.
Expelling a member requires a two-thirds House vote — 70 Democrats would need to support expulsion.
House Democratic leaders have declined to take a position until the Ethics Committee issues its recommendation. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats would discuss next steps after the panel reports back and pledged to “follow the facts and apply the relevant law without fear or favor.”
Asked whether Cherfilus-McCormick should resign if the committee recommends expulsion, Rep. Pete Aguilar, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, said, “we will cross that bridge when we get there,” adding, “We have not denied the seriousness of those allegations.”
Jaala Brown contributed to this report.