U.S. Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) on Sunday joined some of his Democratic colleagues in calling for Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) to resign, following a congressional panel’s finding that she violated ethics rules.
“If she doesn’t resign, there will be a vote in the House. … I would hope that my colleague might avoid that outcome by choosing to resign,” Himes said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” program.
A subcommittee determined that 25 counts of alleged violations by Cherfilus-McCormick were proven “by clear and convincing evidence,” according to Rep. Michael Guest, a Republican from Mississippi who chairs the House Ethics Committee. In November, a federal grand jury indicted her on charges of stealing millions in COVID relief funds that the federal government provided during the pandemic and directing that money to her own 2021 congressional campaign.
The full Ethics Committee will decide Cherfilus-McCormick’s fate when the House reconvenes later this month following its two-week spring break. Other Democrats, including Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.), have also called on the Florida Democrat to step down.
An eight-member subcommittee of the Ethics panel voted last week that Cherfilus-McCormick was guilty on 25 of 27 counts related to the case, following a rare public proceeding that lasted more than six hours, the New York Post reported.
“Shortly after the House returns from the April recess, the full Committee will hold a hearing to determine what, if any, sanction would be appropriate for the Committee to recommend,” Ethics Chairman Michael Guest (R-Miss.) and Ranking Member Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.) said in a joint statement.
The subcommittee’s findings could lead to a recommendation that the full House censure or potentially expel Cherfilus-McCormick from Congress. The panel, composed of four Democrats and four Republicans, did not release a detailed vote breakdown. However, members from both parties questioned Cherfilus-McCormick’s defense during the hearing.
Her attorney, William Barzee, sought to delay the proceedings, citing an upcoming federal trial in which she is expected to face charges related to many of the same allegations.
In November 2025, federal prosecutors indicted Cherfilus-McCormick on 15 counts tied to allegations that she misused $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds to support her congressional campaign, The Post noted.
Prosecutors allege that some of the funds were used for personal expenses, including the purchase of a 3.14-carat yellow diamond ring. If convicted on all counts, the 47-year-old could face up to 53 years in prison.
During Thursday’s hearing Barzee raised concerns that any findings by the Ethics Committee could influence the potential jury pool ahead of the federal trial. “She’s absolutely innocent. She’s looking forward to being in criminal court in order to prove her innocence, which I’m confident she’s going to be able to do,” he told the subcommittee members, claiming further that any determination in the House “will result in a loss of her constitutional rights.”
One of the counts not supported by a majority of the subcommittee involved allegations of money laundering intended to conceal the source of funds from a Florida-based corporation to Cherfilus-McCormick’s 2022 congressional campaign.
Another money laundering count was upheld, involving millions of dollars in federal funds paid to a for-profit health care company owned by members of the congresswoman’s family. According to House ethics findings, the company was involved in efforts tied to COVID-19 vaccination registration in Florida.
Between 2020 and 2021, Cherfilus-McCormick’s reported $86,000 salary from Trinity Health Care Solutions remained unchanged, even as the company received more than $6 million in government funding related to vaccination efforts, noted the outlet.
A House ethics report released in January found that at least $5.7 million of that funding was directed to a consulting firm that Cherfilus-McCormick wholly owned between March 2021 and October 2022, when the firm was voluntarily dissolved, The Post reported.