Rep. Greg Steube is pushing to censure and ultimately expel Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick after a federal indictment alleges she funneled millions in FEMA COVID relief into her 2021 campaign, and the Justice Department says a complex scheme of overpayments and laundering lies at the heart of the case.
Republicans in Congress are calling for swift accountability, and Steube made his intentions public and unambiguous. He says this goes beyond politics and strikes at the trust voters place in elected officials who claim to serve disaster victims.
“Tomorrow morning I will be filing a privileged motion to censure Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick and remove her from all committees,” Steube announced in a post on X on Wednesday night. “This is one of the most egregious abuses of public trust I have ever seen. 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.”
Steube made clear he plans to keep pressing the matter beyond a censure, framing it as a matter of preserving the integrity of the institution. “And once House Ethics concludes their investigation or she is formally convicted, rest assured I will move to expel her from Congress,”
The Justice Department alleges that in 2021 Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, ran a family healthcare business that held a FEMA-funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract and received an overpayment of roughly $5 million. Federal prosecutors say that overpayment was not a clerical error but the start of a deliberate plan to divert funds away from the people they were meant to help.
https://x.com/RepGregSteube/status/1991317294870392922
“The indictment alleges that the defendants conspired to steal that $5 million and routed it through multiple accounts to disguise its source. Prosecutors allege that a substantial portion of the misappropriated funds was used as candidate contributions to Cherfilus-McCormick’s 2021 congressional campaign and for the personal benefit of the defendants,” the DOJ said in its statement.
According to the indictment, the scheme included funneling money through friends and relatives to make donations look legitimate, a classic straw donor pattern that erodes confidence in campaign finance rules. The allegation is that funds meant for pandemic response were rerouted into political and personal accounts instead of vaccination efforts and community relief.
Prosecutors also say the congresswoman worked with her 2021 tax preparer, David K. Spencer, to file a false federal return. The indictment alleges they “falsely claimed political spending and other personal expenses as business deductions and inflated charitable contributions in order to reduce her tax obligations,” which adds another layer of alleged wrongdoing beyond the initial FEMA payment.
High-profile voices on the right have been quick to condemn the alleged behavior, calling it brazen and contemptuous toward disaster survivors. Attorney General Pam Bondi described the conduct as “particularly selfish” and “cynical,” and federal prosecutors emphasized that the case shows enforcement will follow serious allegations, regardless of the suspect’s office.
“This individual and her family allegedly stole money from FEMA and then laundered it through friends toward her own personal benefits — including her campaign accounts. Today the FBI and partners at [DOJ] took action. No one is above the law,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote in a .
If the convictions stick, the potential penalties are severe: Cherfilus-McCormick faces decades behind bars under the charges listed by prosecutors. The indictment also spells out hefty possible sentences for her alleged co-conspirators, underscoring how federal law treats both public corruption and the misuse of emergency relief funds.
For Republicans who have been arguing for stricter oversight and harsher accountability when public trust is abused, this case is a rallying point. The central message from GOP lawmakers is simple: misuse public money, and you will answer for it, no matter your chamber or party affiliation.
Darnell Thompkins is a Canadian-born American and conservative opinion writer who brings a unique perspective to political and cultural discussions. Passionate about traditional values and individual freedoms, Darnell’s commentary reflects his commitment to fostering meaningful dialogue. When he’s not writing, he enjoys watching hockey and celebrating the sport that connects his Canadian roots with his American journey.