High-Ranking Democrat Joins Call for Florida Democratic Rep. to Resign or Face Expulsion Vote

Some House Democrats are calling on Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) to resign or face expulsion after a bipartisan ethics panel found her guilty of 25 violations last week. That included a call this weekend from the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.

Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) said on March 29 on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that a House floor vote would come if Cherfilus-McCormick does not step down.

“If she doesn’t resign, there will be a vote in the House,” Himes said.

He said later in the interview, “I would hope that my colleague might avoid that outcome by choosing to resign.”

Himes invoked the case of former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), expelled in 2023, and said both parties owe voters the same standard when it comes to their own members.

“It is also very important that both parties be consistent in punishing ethical lapses inside their own teams,” Himes said.

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) was among the first to go public with a call to resign on March 27, posting on X after the ruling: “You can’t crime your way into legitimate power. Since she was found guilty, she should resign or be removed.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and other House Democratic leaders have not called for her resignation, saying that they want the full ethics panel process to play out first. Despite making a ruling already, the full committee will meet again after the April recess and hold a sanctions hearing to determine a recommended punishment.

Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) told Axios that she believes that Cherfilus-McCormick “should resign” but that Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) “must be pushed by Republicans to resign, too.” A representative for Balint confirmed those remarks to The Epoch Times.

Gonzales announced earlier this month that he would not seek reelection after admitting to an affair with a former aide who died by suicide.

Four other House Democrats have given statements to Axios and Punchbowl News saying that they believe that Cherfilus-McCormick should resign or be removed. The Epoch Times reached out to the offices of these four Democratic representatives for comment but did not receive a response.

The eight-member adjudicatory subcommittee, composed of four Republicans and four Democrats, announced its findings on March 27 after deliberating past midnight following a seven-hour public hearing the previous day.

Cherfilus-McCormick has not indicated that she plans to step down.

“I look forward to proving my innocence,” her office told The Epoch Times on March 27. “Until then, my focus remains where it belongs: showing up for the great people of Florida’s 20th District who sent me to Washington to fight for them.”

Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) has repeatedly said he would make a motion on the House floor to expel Cherfilus-McCormick following the committee’s determination.

“As I have said before, this represents one of the most egregious breaches of public trust, particularly for her constituents in Florida,” he said of the panel’s findings in a post on X. “I will proceed with my motion to expel her once the final sanctions hearing concludes and the committee makes a recommendation to the House.”

Expulsion requires a two-thirds vote.

The ethics violations center on Cherfilus-McCormick’s family health care company, Trinity Health Care Services. Trinity received more than $14.3 million from the Florida Division of Emergency Management for COVID-19 vaccination work in 2021, including at least $5.78 million in overpayments. Investigators allege that at least $3.6 million of Trinity’s funds were allegedly routed into her 2022 special election campaign through a network of family-controlled companies and bank accounts.

Cherfilus-McCormick also faces a federal indictment filed on Nov. 19, 2025, in the Southern District of Florida. She and Edwin Cherfilus, her brother, are charged with conspiracy to commit theft of government funds, theft of government funds, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and eight counts of money laundering. She has pleaded not guilty.