U.S. Congresswomen Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, left, appeared in Miami federal court on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, but did not enter a plea to charges that she stole $5 million in federal disaster relief funds.
Pedro Portal | Tribune News Service | Getty Images
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from the House of Representatives effective immediately on Tuesday, shortly before its Ethics Committee was set to discuss what sanctions to impose on the Florida Democrat for violating more than two dozen House rules and ethical standards.
Cherfilus-McCormick is the third House member to resign since April 13.
On April 13, Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Rep. Tony Gonzalez, a Texas Republican, said they would resign in the face of separate allegations of sexual misconduct.
Cherifilus-McCormick faces a pending criminal case in U.S. District Court in Miami on charges accusing her of stealing $5 million in Covid-19 disaster funds allocated to her family’s health-care business, a portion of which was then allegedly contributed to her 2022 congressional campaign.
The Ethics Committee’s own case against her relates to her use of the funds for the campaign.
In her resignation statement, which was posted on X, Cherfilus-McCormick, who denies any wrongdoing, said the Ethics Committee’s process in dealing with allegations against her was unfair.
“By going forward with this process while a criminal indictment is pending, the Committee prevented me from defending myself,” Cherfilus-McCormick said.
“I simply cannot stand by and allow my due process rights to be trampled on, and my good name to be tarnished.”
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