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. 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. 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 million for infrastructure improvements at the Steel Point project in Bridgeport that will generate thousands of new jobs; and $30 million for upgrades to Metro North's Danbury Branch line." On December 12, 2016, in an interview on
CNN's
New Day, he said he was troubled by several of Trump's actions. The issue that "pushed me over the edge" was Trump's criticism of the
CIA and the intelligence community. Himes admitted that Trump won "fair and square" but said that Trump had proved himself unfit for public office. He cited the intentions behind the creation of the electoral college and argued that it was created for an instance such as Trump's election. On June 29, 2023, during an interview with Ask a Pol, Himes reacted skeptically to whistleblower
David Grusch's testimony regarding a US Government run UAP
Special access program. He asserted that "I was assured by all of the various units that there was no material.”
2024 presidential nominee On July 11, 2024, Himes called for
Joe Biden to withdraw from the
2024 United States presidential election. ==Political campaigns==