Cherfilus-McCormick faces rare public ethics hearing
The House Ethics Committee moves forward with a rare public hearing as Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick fights to delay the case ahead of her federal trial next month.
TODAY IN CONGRESS
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Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) is set to appear before a House Ethics Committee subpanel this afternoon for a rare public hearing that will test how quickly lawmakers are willing to move on allegations that overlap with a pending federal criminal case.
The adjudicatory subcommittee will meet at 2 p.m. to take up a series of threshold legal questions before turning, if necessary, to the substance of the case. The panel is expected to first consider Cherfilus-McCormick’s request to revisit its earlier decision denying a delay of the ethics proceedings and her bid to move the hearing out of public view.
If the subcommittee again rejects those requests, it is scheduled to consider a motion for summary judgment from committee counsel, which argues that the existing investigative record is sufficient to establish violations without a full evidentiary hearing.
The case stems from a broader ethics investigation that has been underway since 2023 and was referred by the Office of Congressional Conduct. Committee materials allege a range of potential violations, including campaign finance reporting discrepancies, acceptance of contributions tied to official actions and conduct related to community project funding requests.
The ethics matter is unfolding in parallel with a federal criminal case brought by the Justice Department, which has charged Cherfilus-McCormick in connection with an alleged scheme involving millions of dollars tied to a pandemic-era FEMA contract. She has pleaded not guilty, and her trial is currently scheduled for next month.
The committee’s decision to proceed publicly while the criminal case is pending marks a departure from past practice, in which ethics proceedings have sometimes been delayed at the DOJ’s request.
House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) said he would not weigh in on the outcome but acknowledged the unusual posture.
“This is obviously a unique and unprecedented hearing that will be in public,” Aguilar said. “In the past, the Department of Justice has asked the Ethics Committee to stand down when they are looking at items. That was not done here.”
Aguilar added that Cherfilus-McCormick will have the opportunity to respond to the allegations in both venues and said leadership would evaluate the situation after those processes conclude.
Cherfilus-McCormick, in a statement, criticized the committee’s timeline and said her legal team had not been given sufficient time to prepare, raising concerns about due process. She said she has fully cooperated with investigators within the limits of the ongoing federal case and intends to challenge the allegations when she is able to do so.
If the Ethics Committee finds wrongdoing, it can recommend penalties ranging from censure to expulsion, subject to a full House vote. A federal conviction could carry a prison sentence of up to 53 years and financial penalties.
HAPPENINGS
All times Eastern.
Floor action
The House is in at 10 a.m. and will vote at 2 p.m. on legislation to ensure DHS law enforcement and critical personnel—including Border Patrol, ICE and the Coast Guard—keep getting paid during a government shutdown by automatically funding their salaries until a budget is passed or a cutoff date is reached. It will also consider a nonbonding resolution that formally expresses support for the department and its personnel, signaling political backing for the agency’s mission, workforce and operations amid the current funding and policy fights.
The Senate is in at noon and will vote at 1:30 p.m. to limit debate on an amendment to the SAVE America Act by Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) that would require voters to provide a photo ID. If that procedural vote fails, the Senate will vote to end a filibuster on whether to debate the House-passed DHS funding bill.
Committee hearings
The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing at 9:30 a.m. on the U.S. Space Command and U.S. Strategic Command in review of the Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2027 and the future years’ defense program.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government will hold a hearing at 10 a.m. on the Government Accountability Office’s assessment of the Federal Buildings Fund.
The House Financial Services Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Artificial Intelligence will hold a hearing at 10 a.m. on how regulators keep pace with technology.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing at 10 a.m. on positioning student-athletes for success in school and beyond.
The Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing at 10 a.m. on Export-Import Bank reauthorization.
The House Education and the Workforce Committee will hold a hearing at 10:15 a.m. on U.S. universities under siege.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies will hold a hearing at 10:30 a.m. on leveraging federal funding for adoption programs.
The House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security will hold a hearing at 2 p.m. on safeguarding U.S. interests in frigid waters.
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing at 2 p.m. on policies to protect American communities from illicit drug threats.
The House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance will hold a hearing at 2 p.m. on factors influencing the high cost of flooding.
The House Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation will hold a hearing at 3:30 p.m. on information technology posture of the Department of Defense.
News events
Democratic Women’s Caucus Chair Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.) and DWC members will hold a press conference at 9 a.m. on Equal Pay Day.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) will hold a press conference at 12 p.m. on the Home Team Act.
The House Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services will hold a roundtable at 2 p.m. to examine “mental health in the MAHA age.”
Reps. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) will hold a press conference at 3:30 p.m. on a bill to expand access to IVF treatment.
President Donald Trump will participate in a Cabinet meeting at 10 a.m., speak at the Greek Independence Day celebration at 4 p.m. and participate in signing time at 5:45 p.m.
IN THE KNOW
— Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) became the first member of Congress to ban his office’s staff from participating in prediction markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi. The policy prohibits trades tied to political, legislative, or geopolitical outcomes learned through official duties. It takes effect immediately and applies to all staff and comes as Moulton warned such platforms create “a perverse incentive structure” that risks allowing insiders to profit from government decisions and world events.
— Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) introduced legislation to impose a federal moratorium on the construction of AI data centers until safeguards are in place to address economic, environmental and national security risks. The proposal would halt new projects and restrict exports of AI infrastructure to countries without similar protections, as lawmakers warn that rapid expansion is outpacing regulation and could harm workers, communities and democratic oversight.
— Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) introduced legislation to cap insulin costs at $35 per month for privately insured patients and lower prices for uninsured Americans. The INSULIN Act of 2026 also creates a 10-state pilot program to help community health centers provide affordable insulin and establishes a resource hub to connect uninsured patients with access to the drug.
READ ALL ABOUT IT
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”This is why flying is so awful” by Ganesh Sitaraman: “There’s a deeper story behind the turbulence in the airline industry.”
”Where are all the campus protests?” by Rose Horowitch: “Two years ago, students occupied buildings and colonized the quad. Now the same places are strangely silent.”