Jim Himes

James Andrew Himes (born July 5, 1966) is an American businessman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Connecticut's 4th congressional district since 2009.

A member of the Democratic Party, he is the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Himes's district includes most of the southwestern corner of the state and is largely coextensive with the Connecticut side of the New York metropolitan area.

It includes parts of Fairfield County and New Haven County, including the cities of Bridgeport, Norwalk, Fairfield and Stamford.

Himes is the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and a member of the House Financial Services Committee.

Himes was born on July 5, 1966, in Lima, Peru, to American parents.

His father, James R. Himes, worked for the Ford Foundation in Lima.

His father was also the director of the UNICEF Innocenti Center, a research institute on child development in Florence, Italy.

His mother, Judith A. Himes, was until recently the director of board activities for the New Jersey Board of Higher Education in Trenton.

Himes spent his early childhood in Lima and Bogotá, Colombia.

After his parents divorced, Jim, his mother, and his two sisters moved to Pennington, New Jersey, where he attended and graduated from Hopewell Valley Central High School.

Himes attended Harvard College, where he was the captain of the lightweight crew and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1988.

He studied for a degree in Latin American studies as a Rhodes scholar at St Edmund Hall, Oxford and graduated with a Master of Philosophy in 1990.

In 1995, Himes began working at Goldman Sachs as a banker in Latin America and New York.

He was eventually promoted to vice president.

Himes was appointed commissioner of the Greenwich Housing Authority in 2002, and served for two years as chairman of the board.

He has also served as a board member of Aspira of Connecticut in Bridgeport, a board member of the Fairfield County Community Foundation, and as an advisory board member of Family Assets, LLP of Bridgeport.

Himes was also an elected member of the Greenwich Board of Estimate and Taxation and chaired the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee.

Himes has sponsored 75 bills.

He stated in 2008 that No Child Left Behind "is well-intentioned because it focuses on education, but it must be reformed."

Himes also co-authored an amendment to the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act that promoted students' financial literacy.

Environment America has given Himes a 100% rating.

He believes that "By creating the right set of financial incentives and supporting a broad range of research and development, we can deliver the energy our economy requires to thrive while protecting our planet."

He also voted for the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

Himes voted against H.R. 627 which allowed loaded guns into national parks.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence gives him a 100% lifetime score for his support of more gun regulations.

Himes refuses to participate in moments of silence in the House chamber after mass shootings.

He believes this honorary gesture for shooting victims is a negligence by Congress, because they could spend the time passing legislation to work on ending gun violence.

He voted for the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010.

He supports a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.

Himes believes that early childhood education is "the most intelligent investment a nation can make in its future" and voted to double funding for Early Head Start Program.

For the 118th Congress:

Planned Parenthood gives Himes a 100% pro-choice rating.

He voted against the Stupak-Pitts Amendment in the Affordable Health Care for America Act that was intended to prevent any federal funds from paying for any health care plan with abortion coverage.

Himes has said, "we should reduce our presence in Afghanistan as rapidly as possible and reshape our mission to focus exclusively on counterterrorism" while requiring "presence in the region, but one considerably smaller than that required by our present strategy of nation-building."

He believes in a world free of nuclear weapons, and readily supports sanctions against Iran.

He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University of Bridgeport on May 5, 2012.

He previously chaired the United States House Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth and the National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee, and has been a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence since 2013.

In 2023, Himes became the Ranking Member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

He also chaired the New Democrat Coalition in the 115th Congress (2017–2019).