About

About the Committee

The Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth will develop solutions to the key economic issue of our time: the yawning prosperity gap between wealthy Americans and everyone else. America is more unequal today than it has ever been, and far more unequal than other developed nations. Great wealth disparities slow our economy, poison our politics and offend our moral sensibilities.

Disparity is not a Democratic or Republican problem. It is an American problem challenging our great cities, sprawling suburbs and rural heartland.  Inspired by Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson, the committee will study the causes and consequences of economic disparity.  The Committee will listen to academic experts, community leaders, the private sector, and most importantly, everyday Americans.  Its Members, drawn from every corner of America, will recommend solutions to the Congress, the Administration, and society at large.

The Committee also intends to Show America to Itself. Our divisions and parochialism erode our belief and confidence in each other. We will document the hopes, concerns and aspirations of Americans throughout our land in the belief that just behind our differences lie unity and a commitment to each other.

Meet the Chair

Jim Himes represents Connecticut’s 4th District in the United States House of Representatives where he is serving his seventh term. He is the Chairman of the House Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth as well as the Chairman of the National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee. 

Also a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Himes has served as Chairman of the Strategic Technologies and Advanced Research (STAR) Subcommittee and Ranking Member of the NSA and Cybersecurity Subcommittee.

Born in Lima, Peru in 1966 to American parents, Himes returned to the U.S. at the age of 10. He graduated from Hopewell Valley Central High School and then attended Harvard University, completing his undergraduate work and earning a Rhodes Scholarship to continue his studies of Latin America.

After beginning his professional career at Goldman Sachs & Co., Himes ran the New York City branch of The Enterprise Community Partners, a nonprofit dedicated to addressing the unique challenges of urban poverty, and financing the construction of thousands of affordable housing units in the greater New York metropolitan region.

Himes’s experience at Enterprise spurred his involvement in politics. Putting his expertise in affordable housing to work, Himes served as a Commissioner of the Greenwich Housing Authority before running for Congress.

Himes lives in Greenwich with his wife Mary and not frequent enough visits from his daughters Emma and Linley.