On Thursday, December 17 from 1–4 p.m., Congressman Chris Smith will co-chair a hearing of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on the deteriorating human rights situation in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, including its religious dimensions, and proposed responses. The underlying causes of the conflict in Nigeria’s Middle Belt are complex and varied. They include competition for access to land and other resources between pastoralists and farmers exacerbated by drought, desertification, and climate ch... Read more

George Woolston Burlington County Times USA TODAY NETWORK - The $732 billion bill that sets spending and policy for the U.S. military has passed the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday with bipartisan support. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) received bipartisan support by passing 335-78, with a total of 140 Republicans and 195 Democrats backing the bill, the Associated Press reported. South Jersey lawmakers consider several provisions in the bill big wins for Joint Base McGuire-... Read more

By U.S. Rep. Chris Smith - Dec. 10, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), rightfully heralded as a human rights landmark. To understand how the UDHR came about and what made it necessary, however, we need to first recall what preceded it. The UDHR was born of the horrors of the Holocaust and World War II, as well as the imperfect attempt to achieve some sort of justice at the Nuremberg and Tokyo War Crimes trials. Recall, the defendan... Read more

Responding to reports that South Korea’s parliament was on the verge of passing legislation that would criminalize the sending of leaflets, Bibles and money across the border to the Communist North, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), co-chair of the bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, made the following statement. “I am troubled that legislators in an ostensibly vibrant democracy would contemplate criminalizing conduct aimed at promoting democracy and providing spiritual and humanitarian succor... Read more

By News12 Staff - With the world potentially days away from having a COVID-19 vaccine, research continues to help treat other life-threatening diseases like Lou Gehrig's disease. Forked River resident Josh Smith, 31, was an athlete and football coach who ran a construction business with his father. But his world was turned upside-down when he was diagnosed with ALS in March of 2019. “When I first got diagnosed, I mean honestly, I felt like I died on that day…You lose every dream that you had. It... Read more

By Carly Baldwin, Patch Staff Dec 9, 2020 2:36 pm ET Legislation authored by this area's Congressman, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), to help veterans heal through outdoor recreational therapy, has now been signed into law by President Trump. Smith's bipartisan Accelerating Veterans Recovery Outdoors Act, which was endorsed by more than 120 veteran service organizations, outdoor recreation groups and conservation organizations, will provide increased access to federal lands for the purposes of veteran... Read more

The House passed and Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) voted for the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) today, new legislation that will protect the airlift and air refueling missions at America’s only tri-service installation, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB-MDL), and brings $37 million in construction jobs that will support construction work for the local economy. “The bill requires the Secretary of the Air Force to maintain a minimum of 50 KC–10 Extender tankers—many of which a... Read more

Legislation authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) to help veterans heal through outdoor recreational therapy has been signed into law by President Trump. Smith’s bipartisan Accelerating Veterans Recovery Outdoors Act (H.R. 2435), which was endorsed by more than 120 veteran service organizations, outdoor recreation groups and conservation organizations, will provide increased access to federal lands for the purposes of veterans’ medical recovery therapy. Smith’s bill—cosponsored by 136 bipartisan ... Read more

Excerpts of remarks by Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) at a hearing of the House Africa Subcommittee on the crisis in Ethiopia held on December 3, 2020: I’d like to thank Chairwoman Bass for once again convening a hearing on an extremely important topic–the unfolding conflict in Ethiopia, centered around the Tigray region, but one which impacts the entire country. Indeed, it is my belief that Ethiopia is one of the two most strategically significant countries in Africa–Nigeria being the other ... Read more

U.S. Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Richard Neal (D-MA), who spearheaded a bipartisan congressional letter urging an independent UK inquiry into government collusion in the 1989 assassination of human rights lawyer Patrick Finucane, today released the following statement in response to UK Secretary of State Brandon Lewis’ disappointing decision to block a public hearing into the murder: “The British Government’s announcement today, its most recent attempt to break its promise for a public inquiry ... Read more