Democratic Florida Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is facing a firestorm on Capitol Hill after federal prosecutors charged her Wednesday night with allegedly funneling $5 million in federal disaster relief funds from FEMA into her 2021 congressional campaign and for personal use.
The indictment, brought by a federal grand jury in Miami, accuses Cherfilus-McCormick—who was the head of a healthcare company contracted by FEMA for COVID-19 vaccine registration—of conspiring with co-defendants to steal FEMA overpayments to her family company. Prosecutors allege some of the stolen funds were distributed to friends and relatives, who then made campaign donations to the representative, falsely claiming the money was their own. She and her tax preparer were also charged with conspiring to file a false federal tax return.
Attorney General Pam Bondi condemned the alleged actions, stating, “Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime.”
The indictment has spurred immediate and aggressive action from House Republicans. Florida GOP Representative Greg Steube announced he would file a privileged motion to censure Cherfilus-McCormick on Thursday morning. The privileged status means House GOP leadership must bring the resolution to the floor for a vote within two legislative days.
“Stealing $5 million in taxpayer disaster funds from FEMA of all places is beyond indefensible,” Steube wrote on X. “Millions of Floridians have relied on FEMA after devastating hurricanes, and that money was supposed to help real disaster victims.”
The charges place Cherfilus-McCormick’s congressional future in serious jeopardy. She currently serves on the Foreign Affairs and Veterans’ Affairs Committees, and her committee assignments are likely to be addressed following the indictment.
Furthermore, Steube vowed to pursue the ultimate penalty: expulsion from Congress. “And once House Ethics concludes their investigation or she is formally convicted, rest assured I will move to expel her from Congress,” he stated.
While the severity of the allegations is shocking to lawmakers, the success of the censure effort remains uncertain. Similar recent efforts by Republicans to formally rebuke and remove committee assignments from Democratic members, including Rep. Stacey Plaskett and Rep. Cory Mills, have recently failed due to a lack of party unity.
Cherfilus-McCormick is currently awaiting trial, as are two other Democratic Representatives recently indicted, Henry Cuellar (TX) and LaMonica McIver (NJ).
A spokesperson for Cherfilus-McCormick has not yet responded to requests for comment.
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