By Daniel Nee Published September 5, 2025 A bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-4) that would provide $50 million in dedicated funds for a new shallow draft dredging vessel, which Smith specifically sought to address dangerous shoaling issues at the Manasquan Inlet and other locations, has passed the House of Representatives. The funding was included in the Energy & Water Appropriations Act (HR 4553). The USACE dredge boat Murden clears a channel through Manasquan Inlet, Feb. 6, 2023. (Ph... Read more

In recent years, an increasing number of countries have passed laws to require transparency or otherwise put limitations on foreign funding of NGOs. Some human rights organizations have characterized such laws as a tool of authoritarian control over society, as stigmatizing and targeting civil society and activists, and limiting freedom of expression and association. This hearing will examine trends in the application of foreign NGO laws, the relevance of international human rights standards, a... Read more

Last week, Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), and 30 other members of the House and Senate joined together to file an amicus brief in support of pro-life pregnancy centers that have been unjustly targeted by the state of New Jersey. Earlier this summer, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to address this issue in the case of First Choice Women’s Resource Centers v. Platkin, with oral arguments expected in December. Rep. Smith, Dean of New J... Read more

By Eva Fu Published September 4, 2025 The hot mic moment of China and Russia’s top leaders musing about immortality through organ transplants speaks to more than their mutual desire to stay in power. It touches on a sensitive topic for the regime—forced organ harvesting—the very mention of which Beijing has striven to erase even in the West. In a country with longstanding concerns about the abuse, the off-the-cuff exchange—and the casual way organ transplants came up—was unsettling to Rep. Chris... Read more

Today’s House-passed FY26 Energy & Water Appropriations Act (HR 4553) includes $50 million in dedicated funds for a new shallow draft dredging vessel, which Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) specifically sought to address dangerous shoaling issues at the Manasquan Inlet and other locations. “A vote ‘NO’ on today’s bill would have been a vote against a desperately needed new dredge for the Manasquan and Shark River Inlets and the economy of the Jersey Shore,” Smith said. “Categorized as a dynamic inlet wi... Read more

By The Lakewood Scoop Published September 4, 2025 at 7:41 PM The House of Representatives today approved the FY26 Energy & Water Appropriations Act (HR 4553), which includes $50 million for a new shallow-draft dredging vessel—funds Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) fought to secure in order to address dangerous shoaling issues at the Manasquan Inlet, Shark River Inlet, and other key waterways. “A vote ‘NO’ on today’s bill would have been a vote against a desperately needed new dredge for the Manasquan and... Read more

By John Gizzi Published Thursday, September 4, 2025 at 9:19 PM A casual hot-mic conversation about organ transplants between strongmen Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping on Wednesday has sparked fresh interest in Congress to enact a ban on the practice of organ harvesting proposed by Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J. In a bizarre exchange in Beijing reported by Reuters, the Russian and Chinese presidents discussed organ transplants while both were at the celebration of China's victory over Japan in World War ... Read more

By Bill Gertz Published September 4, 2025 Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin were overheard candidly discussing medical advances for extending life — a conversation that critics say highlights China’s practice of brutally harvesting human organs from dissidents and prisoners. During a discussion picked up and broadcast by Chinese state media prior to a major military parade in Beijing Wednesday, Mr. Xi said living past age 70 is becoming commonplace. “Earlier, peop... Read more

By M. K. Shepherd Published September 4, 2025 Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) announced that the House-passed FY26 Energy & Water Appropriations Act (HR 4553) includes $50 million in federal funding for a new shallow draft dredging vessel. Smith said he specifically sought this funding to address shoaling issues at Manasquan Inlet and other nearby locations. “A vote ‘NO’ on today’s bill would have been a vote against a desperately needed new dredge for the Manasquan and Shark River Inlets and the econom... Read more

Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), and Representative John Moolenaar (R-MI), Chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, sent a joint letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging the U.S. Department of State to differentiate Somaliland from the Federal Republic of Somalia in its travel advisory report. This distinction would be in recognition of Somaliland’s de facto independence, good governance and... Read more