James A. Himes

Himes Statement on House Passage of FISA 702 Reauthorization

Position: Himes voted to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, characterizing it as essential for national security while expressing concern that Republican colleagues did not pursue additional privacy safeguards and calling for bipartisan reforms and rigorous oversight.

Washington, DC— Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Jim Himes today released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed legislation to reauthorize and reform Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The bill passed the House by a vote of 235-191. "Today, I voted to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, our country's most important and irreplaceable foreign intelligence collection tool. This program is rightly controversial, and it is a shame that my Republican colleagues did not use this process to debate thoughtful and bipartisan reforms to further safeguard Americans' privacy without hamstringing our intelligence agencies' ability to keep our country and our constituents safe. That said, I cannot in good conscience allow this program to expire and once again leave Americans vulnerable to national security threats like the terrorist attack that took the lives of 161 precious residents of Connecticut on September 11, 25 years ago. I hope that the House and Senate will now work together to pass a bipartisan FISA reform and reauthorization bill that can be quickly signed into law, and I remain committed to working closely with my colleagues to ensure rigorous oversight that does not allow for the possibility of abuse by this Administration." Permalink: https://himes.house.gov/2026/4/himes-statement-on-house-passage-of-fisa-702-reauthorization

Himes Statement on Supreme Court Gutting the Voting Rights Act

Position: Congressman Himes opposes the Supreme Court's decision to weaken the Voting Rights Act and advocates for passage of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore federal voting protections and prevent racial gerrymandering and voter suppression.

Washington, D.C. — Today, following the Supreme Court's ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, Congressman Jim Himes (CT-04) issued the following statement: "The passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a monumental achievement in American history. Generations of Black Americans were systematically – often brutally – denied the right to vote until that landmark law finally allowed communities of color to fully participate in our democracy. Today's Supreme Court decision to gut the Voting Rights Act has set us back decades in our collective effort to ensure every American can make their voice heard at the ballot box. "Today's opinion is an affront to the legacy of Civil Rights heroes like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Congressman John Lewis. With their strength, wisdom, and resolve in mind, House Democrats will fight any and every effort to silence minority voices through racial gerrymandering and voter suppression. My colleagues and I will not rest until the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is enacted into law so that this country can finally leave its shameful history of race-based disenfranchisement behind." Permalink: https://himes.house.gov/2026/4/himes-statement-on-supreme-court-gutting-the-voting-rights-act

Ranking Member Himes Offers Amendment to FISA Section 702

Position: Ranking Member Himes supports reauthorization of FISA Section 702 as essential to national security while proposing an amendment to require Department of Justice court orders before FBI queries involving U.S. persons, political organizations, and nonprofits, with limited exceptions for significant national security threats.

Washington, DC— Ranking Member Jim Himes today offered an amendment to the FISA 702 Reauthorization Bill to require the Department of Justice to seek a court order before the FBI can access the results of queries involving US persons, political organizations, and non-profit organizations, with limited exceptions to enable the FBI to address significant and time-sensitive national security threats. "FISA 702 is our nation's most critical national security tool and the failure to renew it would make all Americans less safe. I have long supported reforms to FISA 702 to further increase protections for Americans' privacy and civil liberties and to improve oversight of this powerful tool, including the more than 50 reforms that were instituted as a part of the 2024 reauthorization. In offering this amendment to the Rules Committee, I hope to show there is a path to build on those reforms to require court approval before the FBI can access the results of any query involving a US person, political organization, or nonprofit— with targeted exceptions to ensure the FBI can address significant national security threats. FISA 702 is too critical to allow it to expire, but the legitimate concerns about the possibility of abuse also demand that we consider additional reforms, exactly what my amendment seeks to accomplish." Permalink: https://himes.house.gov/2026/4/ranking-member-himes-offers-amendment-to-fisa-section-702

Himes Statement on FISA 702 Reauthorization

Position: Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act should be reauthorized. The representative supports the program as essential for national security and counterterrorism, acknowledges prior reforms, and proposes a short-term reauthorization to allow time for further debate on potential additional reforms.

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is our nation's most important and most rigorously overseen foreign intelligence collection tool. It is used every single day to thwart terrorist attacks, to stop fentanyl traffickers and to identify foreign spies. While I have always championed reform, including the many reforms put into place two years ago, allowing this authority to expire would put the American people at severe risk. In 2024, Congress instituted 56 reforms to enhance oversight of this program, and since then we have seen zero evidence of intentional abuse. I am open to making further reforms to Section 702, and a short-term reauthorization will enable Congress to thoroughly debate the pros and cons of these suggested reforms—and to determine if compromise is possible—without placing our national security in peril by allowing the program to expire. Permalink: https://himes.house.gov/2026/3/himes-statement-on-fisa-702-reauthorization

Himes, Pappas, Harder, Liccardo Celebrate Senate Passage of Bill to Expand Home Loan Access

Washington, D.C. – Today, Representatives Jim Himes (CT-04), Chris Pappas (NH-01), Josh Harder (CA-09) and Sam Liccardo (CA-16) celebrated the Senate's passage of their Property Improvement and Manufactured Housing Loan Modernization Act included as part of the 21st Century Road to Housing legislative package. The bill, which empowers the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to expand statutory loan limits for manufactured homes and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) by an average of 107% across all loan types, now moves to the House where Himes, Pappas, Harder, and Liccardo are original sponsors of the legislation. "We need to use every tool at our disposal to address America's housing crisis. Reforming FHA's Title I loan program to raise its antiquated loan limits returns a tool to federal housing authorities' hands which they can use to build more homes across the country. I'm thrilled the Senate passed our legislation and I look forward to pushing for its passage in the House so we can get it signed into law," said Congressman Himes. "New Hampshire's housing needs have reached a crisis point, and it is critical that we do all we can to increase the supply of affordable housing and lower costs on everything from rent to repairs," said Congressman Pappas. "I am glad that the Senate has passed legislation I co-led that will strengthen and expand a critical federal loan program to provide assistance to middle-class homeowners. This will allow families to afford essential improvements and repairs and remain in their homes. I'll keep pushing to pass this legislation in the House, and I remain committed to working with anyone to deliver for New Hampshire and ensure that homeownership stays a reality for every hardworking Granite Stater." "Valley communities are in a housing crisis - families are struggling to keep a roof over their heads while the next generation can't even afford to leave home and move into a place of their own," said Congressman Harder. "We need more new homes, lower housing costs, and projects finished faster - that's exactly what this bill helps deliver. I'm going to continue pushing to make life in the Valley affordable again and restore our families' dream of being able to buy a home." "We won't meet our nation's housing demand without building more homes, and ADU's–commonly known as backyard homes or granny units–can provide a naturally affordable supply," said Congressman Liccardo. "For too many of our cost-constrained homeowners, financing remains a major hurdle to building an ADU." Liccardo continued, "I'm proud to co-lead this bill to amend HUD's outdated loan limits to empower more homeowners to become home providers." The Property Improvement and Manufactured Housing Loan Modernization Act seeks to boost America's housing supply by: More information on the Property Improvement and Manufactured Housing Loan Modernization Act can be found here. Permalink: https://himes.house.gov/2026/3/himes-pappas-harder-liccardo-celebrate-senate-passage-of-bill-to-expand-home-loan-access

Himes Statement on Iran

Position: Rep. Himes opposes military strikes against Iran, arguing they represent a war of choice without a clear strategic objective and risk uncontrolled escalation.

Washington, DC - Today, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Ranking Member Jim Himes (CT-04) released the following statement: "Everything I have heard from the Administration before and after these strikes on Iran confirms this is a war of choice with no strategic endgame. As I expressed to Secretary Rubio when he briefed the Gang of Eight, military action in this region almost never ends well for the United States, and conflict with Iran can easily spiral and escalate in ways we cannot anticipate. It does not appear that Donald Trump has learned the lessons of history. Permalink: https://himes.house.gov/2026/3/himes-statement-on-iran

Dem Leadership, Himes, Meeks, Smith, Khanna Announce Iran WPR Vote Next Week

Position: House Democratic leaders support requiring the President to obtain Congressional authorization before using military force against Iran, arguing that unilateral military action without Congressional approval would be unconstitutional.

Washington, DC - U.S. Representatives Jim Himes, Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries; Democratic Whip Katherine Clark; Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar; Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Adam Smith, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee; and Ro Khanna, Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, today announced that House Democrats will force a vote on the Khanna-Massie Iran War Powers Resolution next week: "As soon as Congress reconvenes next week, we will compel a vote of the full House of Representatives on the bipartisan Khanna-Massie War Powers resolution. This legislation would require the President to come to Congress to make the case for using military force against Iran. The Iranian regime is brutal and destabilizing, seen most recently in the killing of thousands of protestors. However, undertaking a war of choice in the Middle East, without a full understanding of all the attendant risks to our servicemembers and to escalation, is reckless. We maintain that any such action would be unconstitutional without consultation with and authorization from Congress. Next week, every Member will have the opportunity to go on the record as to whether they support military action against Iran absent Congressional approval." Permalink: https://himes.house.gov/2026/2/dem-leadership-himes-meeks-smith-khanna-announce-iran-wpr-vote-next-week