Actor

1966-07-05 · Peru · Male

2 series in the catalog

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. Himes is a member of the Democratic Party.

Himes's district includes most of the southwest 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.

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).

Early life and education

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

Early career

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.

U.S. House of Representatives

Legislation

Himes has sponsored 75 bills.

On March 6, 2025, Himes was one of ten Democrats in Congress who joined all of their Republican colleagues in voting to censure Democratic congressman Al Green for interrupting President Donald Trump's State of the Union Address.

On September 19, 2025, Himes was one of 95 Democrats in Congress who joined all of their Republican colleagues in voting to honor the life and legacy of political activist Charlie Kirk.

Committee assignments

For the 119th Congress:

Committee on Financial Services

Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (Ranking Member)

Caucus memberships

Congressional UK Caucus (Co-chair)

Rare Disease Caucus

Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans

Abortion

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.

Defense

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 voted for the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010. He supports a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.

He opposed the US airstrikes on Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro by US forces in January 2026. Himes also said that, even though he is part of Congress's "Gang of Eight" – the bipartisan group of senior lawmakers usually briefed on national security matters – he was not told in advance about the Trump administration's military action.

Himes supported a 2026 renewal of Section 702 of FISA, allowing the government to surveil American citizens and residents while abroad.

Economics

In 2022, Himes was one of 16 Democrats to vote against the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.

In November 2025, Himes was the sole Representative from Connecticut to vote in favor of a Republican resolution to condemn socialism, put forth shortly after Zohran Mamdani won the 2025 New York City Mayoral Election. In explaining his vote, Himes claimed that the second Trump administration was "the most socialist administration in two and a half centuries", due to Trump's initiatives to take stakes in various private companies. Himes was denounced by the Connecticut chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America for this vote, which they called "a distraction".

Education

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. 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

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.

Gun issues

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.

Health care

Himes supports the Affordable Care Act. He believes in preserving Medicare and Medicaid and says we must be "prepared to equitably reform these programs to address the challenging problem of rising health care costs and ensure that these important safety net programs are here to help this generation and the next."

Fourth Amendment

Himes voted against H.R. 2397, which was to defund the NSA domestic phone metadata spying program. He said he voted against the bill not because he objects to limiting the NSA's power, but because the bill was created in a reactionary manner and stripped the NSA of too much power.

Transportation

Himes co-sponsored H.R. 402, The National Infrastructure Development Bank Act of 2011, which would objectively fund national infrastructure projects. According to Himes, it would also "attract private investment and facilitate private sector partnering with regions, states and localities to borrow from the Bank while adding its own private equity to projects." He has helped bring money to the 4th district, such as "over $70 million for safety improvements, resurfacing, enhancements, and bridge improvements to the Merritt Parkway; over $11…