A Republican congressman said he will file a censure motion against Democratic U.S. Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, hours after a federal grand jury in Florida indicted her on a charge of stealing about $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster-relief funds.
Cherfilus-McCormick’s office did not immediately respond to Newsweek’s request for comment on Wednesday night.
Why It Matters
The indictment of Cherfilus-McCormick, 46, comes as she is already facing heightened scrutiny over her family company’s finances.
What To Know
Florida Republican Greg Steube said he intended to file a privileged motion to censure Cherfilus-McCormick on Thursday and remove her from all congressional committees.
“This is one of the most egregious abuses of public trust I have ever seen,” Steube said in a post to X.
“Stealing $5 million in taxpayer disaster funds from FEMA of all places is beyond indefensible. Millions of Floridians have relied on FEMA after devastating hurricanes, and that money was supposed to help real disaster victims,” he added.
A censure is a formal reprimand but Steube said he would be seeking more than that.
“And once House Ethics concludes their investigation or she is formally convicted, rest assured I will move to expel her from Congress,” he said.
Cherfilus-McCormick’s attorneys, David Oscar Markus, Margot Moss and Melissa Madrigal, said in a joint statement that the Florida congresswoman “is a committed public servant, who is dedicated to her constituents. We will fight to clear her good name,” CNBC reported.
Earlier, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that a federal grand jury in Miami indicted Cherfilus-McCormick and several co-defendants, in connection with the charge of stealing some $5 million in FEMA funds and accusations of funneling the money into her 2021 congressional campaign.
The indictment alleges that Cherfilus-McCormick, who represents Florida’s 20th District covering parts of Broward and Palm Beach Counties, and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, diverted an overpayment linked to a COVID-19 vaccination-staffing contract awarded to their family home-health-care business.
Prosecutors say the funds were laundered through multiple accounts to mask their origin, with a substantial portion routed from the FEMA contract into campaign contributions, and that the congresswoman also conspired with her tax preparer to file a false federal return.
In late 2024, Florida’s Division of Emergency Management sued Trinity Healthcare Services—the firm Cherfilus-McCormick ran before entering Congress—accusing it of overcharging the state by nearly $5.8 million for COVID-19 vaccination registration work and refusing to return the money. State officials said the issue came to light after a single $5 million overpayment raised alarms, underscoring concerns over Trinity’s handling of large public contracts during the pandemic.
Those Florida allegations helped fuel a parallel ethics probe into the congresswoman’s rapid increase in personal income.
The Office of Congressional Ethics reported in January that Cherfilus-McCormick’s earnings in 2021 exceeded her previous year’s income by more than $6 million, driven largely by nearly $5.75 million in consulting and profit-sharing fees from Trinity. In July, the House Ethics Committee unanimously voted to extend its investigation into whether she improperly benefited from the company’s government work, placing her under rare, bipartisan scrutiny even before Wednesday’s federal indictment.
What People are Saying
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, in a statement: “Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime. No one is above the law, least of all powerful people who rob taxpayers for personal gain. We will follow the facts in this case and deliver justice.”
What Happens Next
A privileged motion is meant to take precedence over other business but it is not clear when Steube’s censure motion might reach the House floor.
Meanwhile, ethics and criminal investigations into Cherfilus-McCormick are underway and she could face up to 53 years in prison if convicted, while her brother could face up to 35 years, according to prosecutors.