By Caitlin Yilek
Updated April 21, 2026
Washington — Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida resigned from Congress Tuesday, stepping down just moments before the House Ethics Committee was set to consider whether to impose sanctions over allegations of theft and other misconduct.
Cherfilus-McCormick has been federally charged with stealing nearly $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds that prosecutors say were diverted to her campaign; she has pleaded not guilty. House leaders said she likely would have faced an expulsion effort if she had remained in office.
“This was not a fair process,” Cherfilus-McCormick said in a statement announcing her resignation. “Rather than play these political games, I choose to step away so that I can devote my time to fighting for my neighbors in Florida’s 20th district. I hereby resign from the 119th Congress, effective immediately.”
Her resignation was read on the House floor shortly after the statement, triggering the special election process in Florida to fill the vacancy. House Ethics Committee chairman Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., said the panel “has now lost jurisdiction in this matter” and the planned sanctions hearing would not proceed.
In January the Ethics Committee released a report concluding a monthslong investigation and finding “substantial evidence of conduct consistent with the allegations in the indictment, as well as more extensive misconduct.” The report detailed repeated inaccurate and incomplete campaign finance reporting across multiple election cycles, including contributions falsely reported as personal loans, acceptance of improper contributions, and inflated cash-on-hand figures. Investigators also alleged Cherfilus-McCormick used FEMA funds on luxury items such as jewelry and designer clothing.
Last month the committee’s adjudicatory subcommittee held a rare public proceeding and found that all but two of the 27 allegations in the committee report “had been proven.” During that hearing, Cherfilus-McCormick’s attorney, William Barzee, warned committee action would jeopardize her right to a fair federal trial and said potential jurors could be prejudiced by a House finding of wrongdoing.
Barzee told reporters Tuesday that Cherfilus-McCormick was “left with no choice,” saying she could either accept committee action or step down to protect her constitutional and due process rights.
Her federal criminal trial, previously delayed, has been rescheduled for February 2027. Cherfilus-McCormick has said she is limited in what she can discuss while the case is pending and has indicated she will address the allegations more fully when legally able.
In recent days she had insisted she did not plan to resign, but her position appeared precarious leading into the Ethics hearing. Republican Rep. Greg Steube of Florida had been holding off on forcing an expulsion vote until after the committee’s recommendation; expulsion would require a two-thirds vote in the House.
Democratic leadership had not publicly committed to supporting expulsion, saying they would await the committee’s guidance. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Cherfilus-McCormick “did the right thing” by resigning and added she is entitled to the presumption of innocence and her day in court. House Speaker Mike Johnson called the resignation “a sad day for the institution” and said he believed she was on a path to expulsion and that the necessary votes existed.
Cherfilus-McCormick is the third member of Congress to step down in the past week amid misconduct allegations; Democrats Rep. Eric Swalwell and Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales both resigned April 14.
Jaala Brown and Patrick Maguire contributed to this report.