Contentious Times in the House of Representatives
WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives is diving back into action with noticeable intensity. Just a week into the new session after a prolonged 43-day government shutdown, tensions have already escalated. Lawmakers have put forward or voted on at least five bills aimed at criticizing or disciplining their peers.
“We’re trying to return to the usual workings of Congress, but honestly, who knows what that even looks like now?” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) expressed to reporters. The atmosphere grew tenser on Wednesday when a resolution to refer disciplinary action against Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) to the Ethics Committee was put to a vote.
“There’s never a dull moment here, is there?” he added.
Later that day, Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) stated his intention to move for the expulsion of Rep. Sheila Charfilas McCormick (D-Fla.), who was recently indicted by a Miami grand jury on federal charges related to misappropriating $5 million in FEMA funds for her 2021 congressional campaign.
The controversy actually began even before the House voted to reopen the government on November 12. Rep. Marie Grusenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) introduced a resolution disapproving of Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.) for “election subversion.” Garcia had recently announced he wouldn’t seek another term after missing the candidate submission deadline for the Democratic primary in his Chicago-based district, leaving his chief of staff, Patty Garcia (unrelated), as the sole candidate.
The Republican-led House passed the resolution on Tuesday, with 23 Democrats supporting it.
On the same day, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) pursued a resolution to censure Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-S.C.) after disclosures during a 2019 House Oversight Committee hearing revealed that she had emailed the late Jeffrey Epstein to gather information on President Trump.
Norman’s resolution aimed to remove Plaskett from the influential House Intelligence Committee. In response, the Democratic Party attempted to push for a vote to censure Mills, who faces allegations of domestic violence, financial misconduct, and stolen valor—claims he denies.
Efforts to censure Plaskett didn’t succeed, which drew backlash from several Republicans who claimed a “backroom deal” had been struck to protect both her and Mills. Both Republican leaders and Mills refuted these assertions.
On Wednesday, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) publicly criticized Mills, pushing for his removal from the House Armed Services Committee, but this effort also fell flat.
Meanwhile, news erupted about Charfilas McCormick’s indictment. The 46-year-old could be facing up to 53 years in prison if found guilty and will also undergo scrutiny from the House Ethics Committee later this year.
Prosecutors allege that Charfilas McCormick and others conspired to “steal” funds from overpayments received by a family health care company in July 2021, related to a COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract.
During the heated 2022 special election for Florida’s Democrat-dominated 20th Congressional District, Charfilas McCormick raised eyebrows by loaning over $6 million to her campaign and later repaying about $2.5 million. She narrowly clinched the Democratic primary by just five votes.
Initially, Steube intended to push for a censure of Charfilas McCormick but reversed his decision on Thursday, stating, “After careful consideration, I’ve chosen to forgo censure and move directly to expulsion. Defrauding the government and victimizing disaster survivors for $5 million automatically disqualifies you from office.”
He added, “If she doesn’t resign and allows Congress the embarrassment of expelling her, I will bring this resolution to a vote.” In the House’s history, only six members have ever been expelled, the most recent being Rep. George Santos, who was the first to be expelled without a prior criminal conviction or leading a Confederate regiment during an insurrection against the United States.
