News | U.S. Representative

Witnesses testify at Rep. Smith's Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing on the G20 forum. From left to right: Mary Ann Glendon, C. Holland Taylor, Dr. Mohamed Elsanousi, and Scott Busby.

Article

Military.com interview with Rep. Smith'Sister, Daughter of CCP Political Prisoner Share Hope For Trump-Xi Meeting'
March 16, 2026

By Nick Mordowanec Published March 16, 2026 at 5:00 AM EDT Dr. Gulshan Abbas, 63, a retired physician and ethnic Uyghur, was disappeared by Chinese authorities in September 2018 in China’s western region of Xinjiang, after her sister, Rushan Abbas, publicly spoke out against the Chinese Communist Party’s oppression of Uyghurs. Gulshan’s family was unaware of her whereabouts until December 2020, when it was learned that a secret trial had taken place in March 2019 declaring Gulshan guilty for “ta... More

Press Release

Smith presents Purple Heart, Bronze Star medals to Vietnam combat Veteran 58 years after battle
March 13, 2026
Corporal Leo Perlmutter Fifty-eight years ago, U.S. Marine Corporal Leo Perlmutter did not know what hit him. He was in one of the battles in the Tet Offensive, launched by North Vietnam and the Viet Cong against the U.S. and Vietnamese forces in January of 1968. Enemy mortar rounds were coming in all around, and one struck close to his position. “I didn’t even know I was hit,” Perlmutter said. “A medic came to treat me. I was bleeding from the head from shrapnel.” He qualified for the Purple H... More

Statements by Congressman Smith Office

Rep. Smith condemns the antisemitic terror attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, MI
March 12, 2026
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, issued the following statement in response to the horrific antisemitic attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan: “My wife, Marie, and I are absolutely appalled by this barbaric act of violence directly targeting American Jews and their fundamental right of freedom of religion. “Antisemitic violence has no place in the United States—or anywhere else on the planet—and we must remain vigila... More

Article

News Ghana article on USCIRF's 2026 Annual Report'U.S. Lawmaker Pushes Harder Action After Damning Religious Persecution Report'
March 11, 2026

By Roger A. Agana Published March 11, 2026 A senior United States congressman has called on Washington to deploy every diplomatic and economic tool available after a landmark federal commission flagged 18 countries as the world’s most severe violators of religious freedom. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its 2026 Annual Report on March 4, documenting violations throughout 2025 and setting out policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State... More

Press Release

Smith welcomes release of USCIRF’s 2026 Annual Report on global religious persecution; urges strong U.S. response
March 10, 2026
“The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)’s 2026 Annual Report is a sobering reminder that millions of people around the world still face imprisonment, violence, and discrimination simply because of their faith,” said Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ)—a longtime defender of religious liberty—upon the release of USCIRF’s 21st Annual Report, led by USCIRF Chairwoman Vicky Hartzler. The report evaluates the religious freedom conditions in dozens of countries and makes recommendations ... More