Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), a recognized international leader in the fight against human trafficking, today chaired a congressional hearing examining the U.S. State Department’s findings in its recently released Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Report, which is mandated by Smith’s landmark Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) that was enacted in 2000. “The TIP Report is the gold standard for cataloguing countries’ records and using the information to push them to end the scourge of trafficking,” ... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) issued the following statement in response to the Biden Administration’s approval of the Atlantic Shores South offshore wind proposal: “In spite of the many major offshore wind failures to date, the Biden Administration continues to recklessly jam through its approval of the Atlantic Shores South project—which includes 195 offshore wind turbines with transmission cables making landfall in Sea Girt and disrupting several other Jersey Shore towns. Unquestionably, these 195... Read more

Ahead of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Washington next week, 142 House lawmakers led by Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) urged President Biden to press Turkey’s President to end his aggressive transnational repression campaign and persecution of opposition groups. “We are writing to bring to your attention the deeply concerning human rights situation in Turkey, particularly the transnational repression campaign orchestrated by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus, issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to dismiss Moyle (Idaho) v. United States as “improvidently granted,” effectively reinstating a lower court injunction on Idaho’s Defense of Life Act and allowing litigation to continue in the lower courts: “While the Supreme Court decided to not rule on the merits of this case at this time, I trust that the lower courts—which now take up this case—will reco... Read more

U.S. Congressman Chris Smith, Chairman of the House Global Human Rights Subcommittee, issued the following statement in response to reports that Irada Bayramova, the wife of Azerbaijani political prisoner Dr. Gubad Ibadoglu, continues to suffer severe physical trauma from a brutal arrest executed last year by Azerbaijani police: “The savage beating of a political prisoner’s wife—a woman who has not engaged in any public political activity—marks a new low for the Azerbaijani government. Azerbaij... Read more

A recent audit issued by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) exposing the skyrocketing exorbitant costs of offshore wind development in Denmark—a major hub for projects—should be “a major wake-up call for Governor Murphy that even his massive government subsidies and ratepayer hikes won’t be enough to foot the ever-growing bill for his reckless pursuit of offshore wind,” said Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester). Denmark is home to offshore wind giant Orsted, which backed out of its two offshore wind proje... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus, today issued the following statement on the second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision: “Dobbs marked a critical first opportunity to end the culture of death and to protect women and unborn children from the violence of abortion. It is an engraved invitation to policymakers at every level—including Congress and the President—to protect unborn children from violent death by dismemberment, decapitation, forced expulsio... Read more

U.S. Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chair of the House Global Human Rights Subcommittee, today welcomed Liberian President Joseph Boakai’s timely appointment of Counselor Jonathan Massaquoi to serve as Executive Director of the Office of War and Economic Crimes Court. “With this critical appointment, President Boakai continues to show his commitment and eagerness for justice,” said Smith. “His expeditious pursuit of accountability for the people of Liberia has strong support here in the U.S. C... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus, issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling in FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine that fails to protect women and their unborn children from the harms of chemical abortion: “The Supreme Court’s failure to recognize the standing of the brave doctors who care for the women and girls harmed by the FDA’s unlawful removal of safety regulations for the drug mifepristone is deeply disappointing. The Alli... Read more

New comprehensive legislation (HR 7213) to combat autism authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) won unanimous support this week as the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted (42-0) to send the bill to the House Floor for consideration and passage. Smith’s bill—the Autism CARES Act of 2024—would provide more than $2.1 billion over five years to reauthorize and strengthen the United States’ whole-of-government Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) initiative through 2029. “This critical legislation will... Read more