WASHINGTON – As negotiators for a massive Pacific Rim trade pact meet in Maui for a final round of talks, Connecticut lawmakers are pressing for changes they say will keep the price of key medicines affordable for patients who need them overseas and in the United States.
Jim Himes
Jim Himes, a Democrat, has served as the U.S. representative for Connecticut’s fourth congressional district since 2009.
Posted inPolitics
Confederate flag debate roils Congress
WASHINGTON – As South Carolina prepared to take the historic step of removing the Confederate battle flag from its capitol building, members of Congress on Thursday engaged in a bitter dispute over the controversial emblem. “It was bizarre,” said Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District.
Posted inHealth, Politics
CT supporters of ACA laud Supreme Court decision
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the legality of federal subsidies that help millions of Americans purchase health insurance was lauded by the Connecticut lawmakers who supported the Affordable Care Act, but it doesn’t end the political fight over the health care law.
Posted inPolitics
Himes splits with CT Dems to vote for trade bill again, and this time it counts
WASHINGTON – Rep. Jim Himes on Thursday was the only Connecticut lawmaker to vote for a bill that would give President Obama “fast track” authority to negotiate a trade pact with 11 other Pacific Rim nations. He had cast a similar vote last week, but this time it counted.
Posted inNews
DeLauro continues to lead defiance against Obama on trade
WASHINGTON — A defiant Rep. Rosa DeLauro vowed Tuesday to continue her battle against President Obama’s trade agenda, even as the president, usually a political ally, scrambled to find a way to rally support for legislation that would facilitate negotiations of a new trade pact with 11 Pacific Rim partners.
Posted inNews
CT lawmakers help deal Obama a blow on trade
Washington – Connecticut Reps. Rosa DeLauro, Joe Courtney and Elizabeth Esty, all Democrats, helped hand President Obama an embarrassing defeat Friday on his trade agenda.
Posted inPolitics
DeLauro, Himes heading for tough vote on trade
WASHINGTON – Rep. Rosa DeLauro may be on the brink of losing a key battle in the fight over a new Pacific Rim trade pact, but that’s not likely the end of the lawmaker’s campaign to oppose it. Meanwhile, Rep. Jim Himes is being punished by organized labor for his stance.
Posted inNews
Labor vows political fallout from Himes trade stance
WASHINGTON — Rep. Jim Himes is in Germany with President Obama for the G-7 meeting of major world economic powers, evidence of the president’s success in influencing key members of his party to vote for a trade measure considered a poison pill for most Democrats. Immediately, organized labor said there would be a political price to pay for Himes’ support on the trade bill.
Posted inNews
Himes says he’ll side with Obama on key Pacific trade deal vote
WASHINGTON – Rep. Jim Himes, targeted as a key swing vote, has decided to back President Obama on legislation that would help the president negotiate a controversial trade deal with 11 Pacific Rim nations.
Posted inNews
In buying stocks, CT lawmakers like blue chips and mutual funds
WASHINGTON — The STOCK Act, a bill signed into law by President Obama in 2012, has opened the door a crack wider on the financial dealings of members of Congress.
Posted inMoney, Politics
CT Lawmakers split on defense bill Obama dislikes
WASHINGTON – Connecticut lawmakers were split Friday over a massive defense bill that would authorize billions of dollars for the state’s defense industry but has provoked a veto threat from President Obama for boosting military spending in an account that’s out of the reach of a spending cap.
Posted inNews
When it comes to trade pact, Himes is the man in the middle
WASHINGTON – Rep. Jim Himes has emerged as a key, swing vote as President Obama struggles to win congressional support for a new trade pact with 11 other nations that ring the Pacific Ocean.
Posted inNews
DeLauro hosts salon to help Clinton drum up endorsements
WASHINGTON — Although she’s considered her party’s front-runner in the race for the White House, Hillary Clinton has not locked up the endorsements of even half of the Democrats in Congress. So Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who endorsed Clinton last week, offered to help boost those numbers this week.
Posted inPolitics
Esty raised most campaign cash this year, but Himes has biggest war chest
WASHINGTON — While it seems they ended their last campaigns just a short while ago, the members of Connecticut’s House delegation have begun raising money for their re-election efforts. Rep. Elizabeth Esty brought in the most money during the first quarter of 2015, but Rep. Jim Himes had the most cash on hand.
Posted inPolitics
Murphy leads CT delegation in official overseas travel
WASHINGTON – When it comes to overseas travel, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a member of the foreign relations committee, is the Connecticut congressional delegation’s most frequent flyer, taking nine official trips since being sworn in two years ago.
