Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., announced plans to file an expulsion resolution against Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., if she doesn’t resign. Federal prosecutors charged McCormick with stealing $5 million in FEMA disaster relief funds, accusations she fully denies.
“It was an unjust indictment, and it seems like these intimidation tactics have been pervasive,” Cherfilus-McCormick said after the indictment was released on Nov. 19.
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Democrats say she’s innocent until proven guilty, but many Republicans want her removed from office now. The GOP won’t let their friends on the other side of the aisle forget about former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y.
“FYSA: There is a motion being filed to expel her from Congress. Reminder that a vast majority of Democrats voted to expel George Santos,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., wrote on X.
Expelling George Santos
Santos was expelled from Congress after he was charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, false statements, falsification of records, aggravated identity theft and credit card fraud. The push to expel him started about five months before he was indicted, and the expulsion came about nine months before he pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Democrats were relentless in calling for him to be expelled. They publicly pressured Republicans to vote to expel him because they didn’t have enough votes to do it alone. They needed about 74 Republicans to join them and got 105.
How does Congress expel a member?
To expel a House member, a two-thirds majority, or about 287 members, has to vote in favor of a resolution. Since the House’s balance of power is 219 Republicans to 213 Democrats, the vote would need to be bipartisan to pass.
Republicans need approximately 68 Democrats to hit a two-thirds majority.
Which Democrats will Republicans target for Cherfilus-McCormick?
If past is prologue, Cherfilus-McCormick’s fellow Florida Democrats are likely to be the targets of the GOP’s pressure.
When Santos was expelled, New York Republicans were just as loud as Democrats in calling for his ouster because they didn’t want him to hurt their party statewide. So Republicans will likely target Reps. Jared Moskowitz, Maxwell Alejandro Frost and Darren Soto, to name a few.
What’s the timeline for expulsion?
Everything in Congress takes longer than expected. The expulsion resolution against Santos was filed in May 2023. It went to the Ethics Committee for an investigation, and he wasn’t ousted until that December.
Even if Republicans push hard on this, there’s a good chance a final expulsion vote wouldn’t come until 2026.
