Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) was joined by the great-great-great-grandson of Frederick Douglass, Ken Morris, and Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) to introduce the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2021 (H.R. 5150)­­­ on Capitol Hill today on the anniversary of Douglass’ self-emancipation. The bipartisan legislation would provide $1.6 billion over five years to combat forms of modern-day slavery in the United States and around the world. Trafficking survivo... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) released the following statement today on the damage caused by remnants of Hurricane Ida: “The tragic loss of lives, displacement of people from their homes and immense destruction of property caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida have been utterly devastating. I commend our first responders who have courageously put their lives on the line to save those gravely endangered by heavy rains, high winds and rising floodwaters. “To bring much-needed relief to towns hit hard ... Read more

By Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) September 2, 2021 (732) 780-3035 As Afghan evacuees continue to arrive at Joint Base MDL, today I joined members of the NJ congressional delegation and the Governor for a high-level briefing at the base by U.S. Northern Command Commander General Glen VanHerck. As the process to assist and relocate the Afghan evacuees intensifies, the outstanding men and women of the Joint Base are playing a critical role in this humanitarian crisis by meeting the basic needs of tempora... Read more

A federal grant in the amount of $67,048 has been awarded to the Red Bank Public Library to adopt new measures that will improve library service to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic or other crisis, said Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) today. “Library access was—and continues to be—impacted by COVID restrictions and protocols,” said Smith who represents Red Bank and 33 other Monmouth County towns. “This grant will help library users in the Red Bank community to access services while still main... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, recently joined CBS Eye on the World—hosted by John Batchelor and Malcolm Hoenlein, vice chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Among the many topics discussed were the Biden Administration's disastrous August 31st exit strategy in Afghanistan and what it means moving forward. Click below to listen: Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) released the following statement on the arrival of evacuees from Afghanistan at New Jersey Joint Base MDL: “There is a both a compelling need and moral obligation to provide immediate safe haven and humanitarian aid to the refugees fleeing the unspeakable cruelty, violence and terrorism perpetrated by the Taliban in Afghanistan owing to President Biden’s disastrous August 31st exit strategy. “Many of these individuals and families arriving at the Joint Base provided vital... Read more

Chris Smith Special to Asbury Park Press USA TODAY NETWORK – NEW JERSEY The fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban has handed over an entire nation to unspeakable cruelty, violence, terrorism and egregious abuse of women and girls. Safe passage out of Afghanistan for thousands of Americans and our allies including Afghan translators, their families, former U.S. employees and others must be the immediate priority. To ensure a safer, faster, and a more robust evacuation from Afghanistan, I strongly ur... Read more

Below is the op-ed written by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, on the crisis in Afghanistan: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/aug/20/create-humanitarian-corridors/. Read more

Erik Larsen, Asbury Park Press staff Already thinking about a trip abroad next summer, when perhaps the COVID-19 pandemic will — dare it even be imagined — finally be over? Well, better get to work on renewing that expired or soon-to-be expired passport now. A nationwide backlog in passport applications has resulted from a shutdown of passport offices across the country during the public health crisis, said Ocean County Clerk Scott M. Colabella. The county clerk’s office administers the start of... Read more

In response to the backlog of passport applications – which exceeds 2 million nationally, including more than 400,000 that hadn’t even been opened yet as of the last update – a New Jersey congressman is asking that all current passports get extended. Rep. Chris Smith, R-Hamilton, said the last word from the State Department was that there were 1.75 million applications pending adjudication and 413,000 in lockboxes awaiting processing. In response, he has proposed legislation that would temporari... Read more