By any fair measure, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick’s career prospects were not bright. Six months ago, for example, the Florida Democrat was criminally indicted, with federal prosecutors alleging she stole $5 million in federal disaster relief funds to finance her congressional campaign.
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The Justice Department’s probe ran parallel to a congressional ethics investigation, which concluded last month that Cherfilus-McCormick was guilty of more than 20 violations.
Closer to home, the congresswoman was also facing a primary challenge she appeared likely to lose.
It was against this backdrop that some House Republicans announced they would move forward with an effort to expel Cherfilus-McCormick. By all accounts, many House Democrats were prepared to abandon her, too.
Short on friends and options, the Floridian is walking away. MS NOW reported:
Just minutes before a House Ethics hearing on Tuesday, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., announced she will resign from Congress following a two-year investigation from the panel into allegations that she misused federal emergency relief funds.
Her resignation takes effect immediately, giving the tiny House Republican majority a little breathing room. (The chamber now stands at 217 Republicans, 213 Democrats and one independent, which is where it stood before last week’s special election in New Jersey.)
If it seems there has been an unusually high number of resignations over the past year or so, it’s not your imagination. Two sitting Republican senators — Ohio’s JD Vance and Florida’s Marco Rubio — resigned to join the Trump administration, as did sitting Republican House member, Florida’s Mike Waltz. Another Democratic House member also resigned after winning a gubernatorial election: New Jersey’s Mikie Sherrill.
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But the list keeps going. Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida resigned shortly before the current Congress began, and roughly six months later, Republican Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee also gave up his seat to take an undisclosed job in the private sector. As 2026 got underway, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia joined the club, shortly after she became eligible for a congressional pension.
Last week, the list grew longer when two more incumbents — Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California and Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas — both resigned in disgrace around the same time. Now, Cherfilus-McCormick has followed them out the door eight days later.
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