After recently chairing his ninth hearing on anti-Semitism, Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) today introduced the bipartisan “Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act” (H.R. 1911) to strengthen U.S. international leadership in the fight against threats to Jewish communities. Smith authored the provisions of law that created the State Department Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism and the Special Envoy to lead it in 2004. “Jewish communities here and abroad continue to be targeted for... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) today applauded the State Department’s announcement that the United States will no longer fund the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) due to its support for coercive birth limitation policies and will instead redirect those funds to support other maternal health programs. Smith, a longtime advocate of defunding the organization, said the UNFPA “gave China’s brutally enforced population control policies the international stamp of approval.” “Since 1979—first through t... Read more

1 in 41 children in New Jersey, and 1 in 68 children nationally, are on the autism spectrum. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities are in almost every school and community, however a lack of understanding of autism can often lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation for individuals with ASD and their families, and all too often, intimidation and bullying. Knowing this, today the co-Chair of the bipartisan Coalition for Autism Research and Education,... Read more

AP, 1:25 EST March 31, 2017 - A bill to force the White House to tell Congress what it is doing to extradite fugitives who have fled the United States, including a member of a revolutionary group who killed a New Jersey state trooper in 1973, cleared its first hurdle Thursday with a 4-1 vote in a House subcommittee. Rep. Chris Smith said New Jersey critics of renewed diplomatic relations with Cuba have not been able to get President Obama’s administration to say what it is doing to secure the re... Read more

The Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act helped establish procedures for the prompt return of children to their left-behind parents. However, without proper enforcement, any law will not be able to reach its full potential. This hearing, announced by Chairman Chris Smith (NJ-04) and entitled “Enforcement is Not Optional: The Goldman Act to Return Abducted American Children,” will evaluate the failures of the previous Administration and look into possibil... Read more

By Jonathan D. Salant of the Star Ledger - Reps. Chris Smith and Albio Sires began a new effort to push for the return of convicted cop-killer Joanne Chesimard to the U.S., re-introducing legislation to have the government push for the return of fugitives harbored abroad. The bill is named for two New Jersey residents, Walter Patterson and New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster, both of whose killers were found and convicted but escaped and are living overseas. Both Smith and Sires (D-8th Dist... Read more

Decades after fleeing the U.S. in an attempt to prevent justice, George Wright, Joanne Chesimard and others like them could be returned to face the penalties of their crimes thanks to the Walter Patterson and Werner Foerster Justice and Extradition Act (H.R. 1744), introduced on Monday by Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04). “The bill is named after Walter Patterson and New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster, two men who were both brutally murdered by people who have been convicted, escaped prison and si... Read more

Anti-Semitism has reached disturbing heights in the United States and Europe, according to four experts from the Jewish community who testified before a congressional subcommittee on March 22. The hearing took place one day before the arrest in Israel of Michael Kaydar, a 19-year-old suspect allegedly responsible for a wave of bomb threats targeting Jewish institutions across the United States. During the hearing, Stacy Burdett, vice president for government relations, advocacy, and community en... Read more

The bipartisan Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act (H.R. 390), authored by Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), today unanimously passed in the House Foreign Affairs Committee. This legislation will help those who have suffered at the hands of ISIS—and hold perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes to account. “ISIS has committed genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes against Christians, Yezidis and other religious and ethnic minority communities... Read more

Joined in spirit by the 28 million in East Africa who are in need of aid, Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) held a hearing today looking at what can, and what must, be done to help resolve the famine in East Africa. The famine, caused by drought and exacerbated by conflict and government mismanagement, has sparked fears of a return to the era of great famines in the region. “The number of individuals who are affected is truly staggering, 1 in 10 are affected in Sudan and Burundi, 1 in 5 in Somalia and Dj... Read more