The House returns from a two-week recess Tuesday with a scandal-packed agenda: at least four sitting members could face expulsion resolutions before the week is out.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) said she will introduce a resolution to expel Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) if he does not resign first. Swalwell dropped his California governor’s bid Sunday amid mounting sexual assault allegations from multiple women, including a former staffer who told the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN that he assaulted her on two separate occasions. Three other women told CNN he sent them unsolicited explicit photos and messages. More than 50 of his former staffers have publicly called for him to leave Congress entirely. The Manhattan district attorney’s office has opened a criminal investigation.
“These allegations are despicable, and they demean the integrity of Congress,” Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “As far as I’m concerned, both gentlemen need to go home.”
The second expulsion target is Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), who admitted to an affair with a staffer who later died by setting herself on fire. Gonzales dropped his re-election bid in March after House GOP leadership pressured him to step aside. He remains under House Ethics Committee investigation. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM) is drafting the resolution to remove him.
“They should resign immediately,” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) posted Sunday. “If they don’t, we should expel all of them.”
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) faces the most serious legal exposure. She is under federal indictment for allegedly steering more than $5 million in disaster relief funds to bankroll her congressional campaign and fund her personal lifestyle. A House Ethics adjudicatory subcommittee found her guilty of more than two dozen violations in March and is expected to formally recommend a punishment soon. She faces more than 50 years in prison if convicted.
Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) is also being discussed as a possible expulsion target, though only a handful of members have so far signaled they would vote to remove a colleague from their own party.
Expelling a member requires a two-thirds majority. That’s a high bar, and leadership in both parties has yet to publicly commit to bringing any of the resolutions to the floor. Whether enough members will cross party lines to reach that threshold remains the central question heading into the week.
The last member expelled from the House was Rep. George Santos (R-NY) in 2023, who was later convicted of wire fraud and identity theft and sentenced to more than seven years in prison. President Trump pardoned Santos in 2025.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) said Sunday she supports holding members accountable. “This is very important that we believe women and that we show people across the Capitol and across the country that we will not accept this kind of behavior,” she said.
