By COAST STAR GROUP STAFF U.S. Rep. Chris Smith joined Brig. Gen. Michael L. Cunniff, The Adjutant General, New Jersey National Guard on Thursday in cutting the ribbon at the New Jersey Army National Guard’s Regional Training Institute. The $32.1million, 86,000 square-foot facility includes an administration and classroom building with 10 classrooms and a library, an auditorium with seating for 225 personnel and a student housing building. The new facility will provide soldiers the necessary cla... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chair of the House panel on Africa, released the following statement on the Kenyan Supreme Court decision: “The unprecedented decision by the Supreme Court in Kenya, and President Kenyatta's quick acceptance of the ruling, speaks well of the strength of Kenyan democracy even in a trying situation. I urge the Kenyan people to return to the polls and peacefully exercise their right to select their government.” ### Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) announced today that the Middletown Township Fire Department has been awarded a $136,675 grant through the Department of Homeland Security’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Program to help in its recruiting efforts. This is round seven of the FY 2016 announcements. “The women and men who put their lives on the line to protect our communities are among our very best,” said Smith. “This grant will help connect the Middletown Township Fire Departmen... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Dean of the New Jersey Delegation, released the following statement on Hurricane Harvey: “First responders in Texas—like in New Jersey during Superstorm Sandy—are heroically saving the lives of thousands of people trapped by massive flooding from Harvey. They are heroes, risking their lives to save others. The federal government, working in partnership with state and local authorities, must provide immediate resources and expertise for rescue and to ensure recovery and r... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today welcomed the tough sanctions announced by the Trump Administration in response to the horrific human rights abuses of the Maduro regime in Venezuela. “We support the Venezuelan people as they work towards reestablishing their rights that have been taken by the red regime that Dictator Nicolás Maduro has imposed on the country,” said Smith, who chairs the House panel on global human rights. “Venezuela, a nation b... Read more

August 22, 2017 - REP. CHRIS SMITH (R-Dist. 4) recently authored an amendment to enhance international efforts to combat anti-Semitism that was adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA). The amendment codified a working definition of anti-Semitism. “Attacks on Jewish communities have been rising in many OSCE countries, including the U.S…. A common definition of anti-Semitism will help identify, prevent, and defeat these threats. It... Read more

Marking the opening of the New Jersey National Guard’s new 86,000 sq. ft., state-of-the-art training facility in Sea Girt, N.J., keynote speaker Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) said the impressive center, “couldn’t come at a more important and critical time in our history, both globally as well as domestically.” “There are wars, there are threats of war and the war on terror is showing no signs of abatement,” Smith said. “Training is what wins these wars and what mitigates casualties—and mitigates con... Read more

BY JERRY CARINO, APP STAFF WRITER - Summer ends in a month, but tick season does not. It’s a mistake, potentially a costly one, to believe ticks disappear when the nights get cooler in September and October. “You can get bitten by a tick year-round,” said Patricia Smith, president of the Wall-based Lyme Disease Association. “Unfortunately, now we know the ticks can be active when it’s above freezing.” The debate surrounding the most infamous tick-borne illness also doesn’t seem to be ending. Lym... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) released the following statement on the events that took place in Charlottesville, VA: White supremacists, including the KKK and neo-Nazis, are consumed by racism, hate and bigotry and are extremely dangerous. History has shown us the horror that results when individuals and entire groups of people are dehumanized. We must commit to ensuring that hate-filled violence is never again ignored or tolerated. As the nation mourns the tragic loss of Heather Heyer, the white supr... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House panel on global human rights, today praised Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for highlighting the ongoing genocide of Christians, Yezidis and minority Muslims at the hands of ISIS in the “International Religious Freedom Report.” In the preface of the report, released this morning, Tillerson says, “ISIS is clearly responsible for genocide against Yezidis, Christians and Shia Muslims in areas it controlled.” “I want to commend Secretary Tillerson for ... Read more