Latest news with #JimHimes
New York Post
25-05-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Top Connecticut Dem admits GOP SALT increase would ‘be good' for his state
A key House Democrat on Sunday admitted there is 'one little portion' of the GOP's megabill that he likes — the raising of the state and local tax deduction (SALT) cap from $10,000 to $40,000. Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, voted against the proposed One Big Beautiful Bill Act alongside the rest of his party last week — but is acknowledging that his constituents would get a boost from its SALT change. 'That one little portion is going to be good for my constituents,' Himes told CBS' 'Face the Nation.' Republicans had capped the SALT deduction at $10,000 under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, disproportionately impacting blue states with high state and local taxes. The new bill would raise the SALT cap to $40,000 for households making $500,000 or less in annual income, amid fierce lobbying from blue-state Republicans. 3 Democratic Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut admitted Sunday that he likes the SALT component of the proposed One Big Beautiful Bill Act. CBS/Face the Nation 3 The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is intended to be President Trump's signature legislative achievement. SAMUEL CORUM/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock SALT Caucus reps like Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Nick LaLota (R-NY) had threatened to vote against the mammoth bill if GOP leadership didn't adequately address issue, something that alienated fiscal hawks. The President Trump-pushed bill still has to pass the GOP-controlled Senate, which one of its most outspoken critics, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, warned Sunday will be tough to do in its current form because of what it would add to the deficit. Democrats had attempted to raise the SALT cap in 2021 and 2022 when they also controlled the country's political trifecta — the White House, Senate and House — but ultimately abandoned the move. Himes on Sunday generally chastised the GOP megabill, which features sweeping tax cuts, bolstered border security, beefed-up defense, energy reforms and more than $1.5 trillion in spending cuts. 'Americans want the wealthiest to be aware of Americans who pay more taxes. And to give tax relief to the middle class. Number two, they want to address the deficit, which is now spiraling out of control,' he said. '[The GOP bill would be] cutting Medicaid and nutritional assistance food stamps to tens of millions of Americans.' The proposed One Big Beautiful Bill Act would slap work requirements on recipients of both Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The adjustments to Medicaid specifically could result in 7.7 million fewer people having insurance, according to a Congressional Budget Office estimate. Other policy tweaks, including ones to the Affordable Care Act, could bring that figure up to 8.6 million by 2034, the office said. 3 House Speaker Mike Johnson has been taking a victory lap after wrangling the marquee legislation through his chamber. Getty Images House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who was a guest on 'Face the Nation' before Himes, insisted that with the bill, 'We have not cut Medicaid, and we have not cut SNAP. 'What we're doing … is working on fraud, waste and abuse,' Johnson said. 'If you are able to work and you refuse to do so, you are defrauding the system. 'There's a moral component to what we're doing. And when you make young men work, it's good for them, it's good for their dignity, it's good for their self-worth, and it's good for the community,' the speaker said. Johnson also shrugged off deficit concerns. The megabill could add $3.1 trillion to the deficit over a 10-year period, according to an assessment from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. 'No, it's not an economic gamble. It's a big investment,' the speaker argued. 'What this bill is going to do is be jet fuel to the US economy. It is going to foster a pro-growth economy.
CBS News
25-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Transcript: Rep. Jim Himes on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," May 25, 2025
The following is the transcript of an interview with Rep. Jim Himes, Democrat of Connecticut, that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on May 25, 2025. MARGARET BRENNAN: We're joined now by Congressman Jim Himes. He is the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, and he joins us today from Greenwich, Connecticut. Good morning to you. REP. JIM HIMES: Good morning, Margaret. Thanks for having me. MARGARET BRENNAN: You just heard the speaker. I know you did not vote for this bill. But you know, Connecticut has one of the highest state and local tax burdens in the country. Do you at least like that one little portion of this bill? REP. HIMES: That one little portion is going to be good for my constituents, but Margaret, I- I got to tell you, it was like listening to "1984" or something, listening to the speaker. You know, anybody can look this up, the American people want basically three things out of their federal budget. Number one, at this point in time when Americans, the wealthiest Americans, are doing better than ever before, Americans want the wealthiest of the Amer- of Americans to pay more taxes, and to give tax relief to the middle class and below. Number two, they want us to address the deficit, which is now spiraling out of control to the point where we got a downgrade in one of the U.S. credit ratings. And third, they want a simpler tax code. This bill spe- fails spectacularly on all three counts. They're cutting Medicaid and nutritional assistance, food stamps, to tens of millions of Americans in order to preserve tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. They're adding $3 trillion to the deficit with this bill. And lastly, they're gumming up the tax code with, you don't have to pay taxes on tips. Now, what about the folks who don't earn tips? You know, auto lending. I mean, again, on the three things that Americans care most about, that they want the Congress to do, this bill fails spectacularly. Look, and that's going to show up in the polling pretty soon, as Americans come to realize what it is that the House of Representatives just did . MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, I want to ask you about your other role on the House Intelligence Committee. When it comes to what the President has vowed to do to Russia, he floated this idea two weeks ago of possible sanctions if Russia doesn't stop its war in Ukraine. But then he spoke to Vladimir Putin on Monday, and we heard nothing about sanctions. We did hear from the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency that this war is trending in favor of Russia. What changes need to be made, if anything, to how the U.S. provides support? REP. HIMES: Well, Margaret, look, we're at a fork in the road with respect to the Russia-Ukraine war. And you know, Donald Trump and his acolytes in the Congress will go along with one of these two choices: either we will continue the trajectory that started when the president and the vice president humiliated Vladimir- humiliated President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office and paused aid, and Vladimir Putin will learn from that experience that he can count on the U.S. to support his murderous incursions into neighboring countries. Or we can take another path, which I hope the president will take, which is to say, what we need to do right now is generate maximum leverage against Vladimir Putin, and I see the president getting a little frustrated by him, but that maximum leverage comes because we really uptick the sanctions. We stop the export of oil. We pressure India to stop buying Russian oil, and of course, we keep arming the Ukrainians. Again, for this guy who considers himself the master of the deal, maximize the leverage of the West so that we can bring this war not just to a conclusion, but to a fair and just conclusion that will keep the Russians from invading countries in the future. MARGARET BRENNAN: In your role on the Intelligence Committee, you get to see things the public does not. With that in mind, the President has designated this Venezuelan gang, Tren de Ar- Aragua, TDA, as a foreign terrorist organization. He says they're invading the country. He's using the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged members without a day in court. Part of the legal justification of all of this rests on the claim that the Venezuelan government is controlling what TDA is doing. The National Intelligence Council assessed the Maduro government does not control the gang. But, on this program last Sunday, the secretary of state rejected that. He says he favors the FBI's finding, which is that some members of the Venezuelan government do influence the gang. Why does all of this matter? REP. HIMES: Well, it matters Margaret, because I'll remind you that in the George W. Bush administration, exactly what is happening right now happened. It was a different topic. Right now, despite the conclusions of the intelligence community, the president, the Director of National Intelligence and the secretary of state are saying that Venezuela directs Tren De Aragua. Now they're saying that because they need this no due process mechanism of deporting people, the Alien Enemies Act, which, by the way, the courts are now laughing at. But the reason it matters, Margaret, is because the last time the White House did this, when they were determined that the intelligence community be forced to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, which there turned out not to be, 4,400 American servicemen perished in a war that was fought on false pretenses, not to mention, by the way, the many hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who perished in that war, which was a catastrophic strategic mistake driven by the politicization, the- the notion that George W. Bush had that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. That's why intelligence matters. There's 4,400 families in this country who lost people because the White House decided they would override the conclusion of their $90 billion a year intelligence community. That's what Marco Rubio is doing. That's what the president is doing, and that's what Director Gabbard are doing when they contradict what their own organization is telling them. MARGARET BRENNAN: So on that point, this is also becoming an issue for Joe Kent, who is the president's nominee to run the National Counterterrorism Center. He's under scrutiny because emails show that while acting as chief of staff to DNI Gabbard, he pressed analysts to amend an assessment of links between the government and TDA. According to redacted emails that my network has obtained, he wrote, "we need to do some rewriting, a little more analysis so this document is not used against the DNI or POTUS," the president of the United States. He says, "we need to…incorporate the FBI's assessment." You have now read these declassified emails as well. Do you believe that Joe Kent was just asking for more context? REP. HIMES: No, he absolutely was not. And I have seen the redacted emails. He was pressuring the National Intelligence Council to alter their conclusions. And look, he gave away the game. You just read the line. He told us why he did that, so that this report would not be used against the president or the Director of National Intelligence. Think about that. The chief of staff of the- of the Office of the Director National Intelligence wasn't saying, we need the very best intelligence here. We need you to go back and make sure you're 100% true. He was saying, we need to make sure that your product is not used to embarrass the president and the Director of National Intelligence. That is the very definition, the very definition, of politicizing intelligence. This is not about embarrassing or not embarrassing anybody. Again, back to those 4,400 dead Americans. So no, Joe Kent must never be confirmed for any Senate confirmed- look, it's all out there for the Senate to see. So no, he may- he must never be confirmed for any Senate confirmed position because of what he did. MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay. And those emails are available for the public to read as well. Congressman Himes, thank you for your time today. We'll be right back with a lot more "Face the Nation."
Fox News
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Democratic Rep praises Trump for doing 'pretty darn well' on Middle East tour
Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., offered rare praise for President Donald Trump Thursday, arguing he "played the Middle East pretty darn well." Trump has received acclaim from some unusual constituencies for his efforts to strengthen strategic partnerships in the Middle East for stability and economic prosperity. Trump, speaking in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday said he thinks the U.S. and Iran "are getting close" to a nuclear deal without any violence. Earlier this week, the president announced he would be lifting U.S. sanctions on Syria, before meeting the country's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, becoming the first U.S. president to meet with a Syrian president in 25 years. Himes, ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, spoke at Politico's Security Summit on Thursday where the Democrat gave rare credit to the Republican president. "I'm not in the habit of praising Donald Trump," he began, before describing how Trump exceeded his expectations in the Middle East the past week. "I go into the week fearing that the prime minister of Israel is hell-bent on going to war with Iran. I go into the week worried that we're going to miss the thread of an opportunity in Syria for the new leadership there. And I got to tell you, I think the president has, in this last week or so, played the Middle East pretty darn well," Himes said. "My guess is that the prime minister of Israel is cooling his heels a little bit on planning for Iran. My guess is that he's probably thinking through a better situation than he otherwise might want for Gaza," he added. "And look, it appears we're going to give al-Sharaa a chance in Syria. That's pretty good stuff. Again, not in the habit of praising this president, but I got to give him some kudos there." Politico senior political columnist Jonathan Martin noted he would not hear any of those things from Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who is regarded as a hawk on foreign policy. "The very reason that you're praising Donald Trump is because he is taking a much more dovish approach to the Middle East than the hawks in his party, which does reflect that oftentimes Trump's impulses are really, really less hawkish than the folks in his party would prefer, right?" Martin said. Himes argued that the very reason he is in office is because of the backlash to the Iraq War. "I'm cautious about broad statements — but the mistakes of foreign policy in my lifetime have been mistakes of being naive about military engagement or about, you know, covert stuff," he said. "Remaking the region," Martin suggested, appearing to refer to ambitions of regime change and nation building in the Middle East. "Vietnam. Remaking the region. Changing the world at the point of a spear," Himes said. "And so, you know, look, we'll see. We'll see." Himes is one of many unexpected sources who have praised Trump for his bold moves in the Middle East, as numerous ex-Biden officials have expressed admiration as well.
CNN
10-04-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Dem Rep. Himes slams Trump's use of Justice Dept. to target two critics
Connecticut Democratic Congressman Jim Himes tells Wolf Blitzer that President Trump's targeting of two officials who criticized him during his first term is "Bolivian dictator stuff from the 1950s" and "has no business in the United States of America in the 21st century."
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Crypto Bill to Combat Illicit Activity Gets New Push After Passing U.S. House in 2024
U.S. Representatives Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) and Jim Himes (D-Conn.) reintroduced a bill to help combat illicit finance and terrorist financing on digital asset platforms after the previous version passed the House of Representatives last year failed to make progress in the Senate before the end of the congressional session. The Financial Technology Protection Act (FTPA) introduced on Thursday would set up an interagency working group, also including crypto industry insiders, to scrutinize activity related to terrorism and digital assets. An earlier version of the bill was cleared in a routine vote by the House in July. "Digital assets are an increasingly integral part of the global financial system, and it's essential that the United States takes a thoughtful approach to security and innovation to maintain its leadership position," the Director of US Policy at Crypto Council for Innovation, Rashan Colbert said in a statement supporting the bill. The proposed working group would include representatives from the Department of Justice, Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of State, the Internal Revenue Service and others. This bipartisan bill was among several crypto initiatives that won House support last year, and efforts to address illicit-finance concerns have always been among the top issues that lawmakers — especially Democrats — have sought to enact. The new administration of President Donald Trump has embraced and called for digital assets legislation, but more notably for stablecoin regulation and a comprehensive bill to set the rules for structuring the U.S. crypto markets.
