The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Reauthorization Act of 2026 (HR 1744), legislation authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) to extend and authorize annual appropriations for USCIRF through fiscal year 2028. During the floor debate on HR 1744, Smith reiterated the necessity of continued federal funding for the Commission: “USCIRF’s high-quality reporting and high-profile commissioners influence the State ... Read more

By Rep. Chris Smith Published June 8, 2026 at 9:00 AM EDT This past June 4, we marked the 37th somber anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, where millions of Chinese citizens peacefully and earnestly asked for political reform and democratic openness. Instead, their hope was met with tanks. On that awful day, the Chinese Communist Party unleashed the People’s Liberation Army on these peaceful demonstrators. Mothers lost sons. Fathers lost daughters. And China lost an idealistic generatio... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and author of the Restoring Sovereignty and Human Rights in Nicaragua Act of 2026 (HR 7055), issued the following statement in response to the State Department’s announcement today that the U.S. has imposed additional visa restrictions on more than one hundred Murillo-Ortega dictatorship officials and their family members: “The brutal Murillo-Ortega regime continues to eviscerate the basic rights and fundamental freed... Read more

By GOPI Published June 5, 2026 Washington, June 5 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Chinese government's efforts to silence critics beyond its borders have come under fresh scrutiny in the US Congress, as lawmakers, state officials and democracy activists described what they called an expanding campaign of intimidation, surveillance and coercion targeting people living in America. At a hearing of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), held on the 37th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crac... Read more

Rep. Smith and Assemblyman McGuckin with top leaders from the GAO. Rep. Chris Smith and NJ Assemblyman Gregory McGuckin today met with top leaders from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to discuss the progress of their investigation—mandated by Smith’s amendment to the FY26 NDAA—into whether the Cold War-era Department of Defense (Department of War) ever used ticks as hosts or delivery mechanisms for biological warfare agents. “Today’s meeting was highly encouraging and eye-opening,” s... Read more

U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ). Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), former Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, met with U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Doug Collins, where he thanked him for the Trump Administration’s historic commitment to improving Veterans’ quality of life and care, reducing Veteran homelessness, and speeding up the processing of VA benefits and claims. “Secretary Collins has been doing an extraordinary job as the n... Read more

The following are excerpts of Co-Chairman Chris Smith’s (R-NJ) opening statement at the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC)’s June 4th hearing, entitled “The PRC’s Threats to Americans: Transnational Repression & State-Level Responses”: Before we begin, I want to mark a solemn anniversary. Today marks the 37th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Thirty-seven years ago, millions of Chinese citizens peacefully asked for political reform, democratic openness, and basic hum... Read more

By Turkish Minute Published June 4, 2026 Turkey is moving toward full authoritarian rule as the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan intensifies its crackdown on political opposition, independent media, civil society and perceived critics at home and abroad, US lawmakers and expert witnesses warned at a congressional hearing on Wednesday. Speakers pointed to the March 2025 arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, pressure on the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), the misuse... Read more

On Thursday, June 4th, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), will chair a congressional hearing on the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) expanding use of transnational repression and malign influence in the United States, and the growing role of state and local governments in responding to these and other threats. We will hear from victims about the tactics used to target them and their families, examine how federal, state, and local gover... Read more

By IANS Published June 3, 2026 at 6:32 AM Washington, June 3 (IANS) Bipartisan lawmakers in the US House of Representatives have introduced legislation requiring the State Department to determine whether China has committed genocide or crimes against humanity against Tibetans, adding fresh congressional pressure on Beijing over its human rights record. Representatives Chris Smith, a Republican from New Jersey, and Tom Suozzi, a Democrat from New York, on Tuesday introduced the Tibet Atrocities D... Read more