House Set to Vote on Rare Dual Expulsions of Florida Reps Cherfilus-McCormick and Mills

Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) and Cory Mills (R-Fla.) are next in line this week for the House’s wave of expulsion votes. The two Florida lawmakers could become the seventh and eighth members ever expelled from Congress.

Cherfilus-McCormick was found guilty by the Ethics Committee on multiple charges, most notably for funneling $5 million in COVID relief funds to her congressional campaign. She has denied any wrongdoing.

Mills faces allegations including financial misconduct, campaign finance violations, and sexual misconduct—all of which he denies.

Last week, Reps. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) resigned ahead of imminent expulsion votes over alleged sexual misconduct. Both denied the allegations.

Key Developments

• Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) signaled support last week for Rep. Greg Steube’s (R-Fla.) plan to introduce a resolution on Tuesday to expel Cherfilus-McCormick—following the House Ethics Committee’s disciplinary recommendations.
• Johnson declined to comment on whether Mills—still under Ethics Committee investigation—should also face expulsion.
• Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) introduced a resolution Monday evening to expel Mills simultaneously with Cherfilus-McCormick. However, the Ethics Committee’s findings on Mills may take months to release.

Party Responses

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is withholding judgment on Cherfilus-McCormick’s case until after her sanctions hearing. He stated that House Democrats will “proceed in a manner consistent with our approach to these types of ethics matters, which is to always ... follow the facts and apply the relevant law without fear or favor.”

Jeffries also emphasized that he is not prepared to support an expulsion vote against Mills without due process, urging the Ethics Committee to “expedite” its investigation so the House can “take up his fate on the floor.”

The Challenge of Expulsion

Expelling a member of Congress requires a two-thirds vote—a high bar in a narrowly divided House where neither party wants to lose seats. While the vast majority of Republicans are expected to vote to expel Cherfilus-McCormick, Mills’ allies argue he has not received full due process, potentially delaying an expulsion vote.