The following are excerpts of remarks by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the House Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, during today’s debate on the House Floor on the Antisemitism Awareness Act (HR 6090)—legislation aimed at combating antisemitism on college campuses: “Forty-two years ago, my first human rights trip as a congressman was to the Soviet Union to defend Jews against pernicious antisemitism. I never thought, however, that the antisemitic hate I saw in Moscow and Leningrad co... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), the Dean of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation, delivered the following remarks today on the House Floor while leading the House of Representatives in a moment of silence to honor the late Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-NJ): “Mr. Speaker, my colleagues and I rise to convey our deepest sorrow on the passing of our good friend, six-term New Jersey Congressman Donald Payne Jr. of the 10th District. We are grateful for his public service and offer our prayers and condolences... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chair of the House Global Human Rights and International Organizations Subcommittee, called the recently released report on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) “an absolute whitewash aimed at covering up the antisemitism, violence and hate that has poisoned the agency for decades.” Smith, the author of legislation to ban US funding for UNRWA, said “the grotesque flaws in the report further underscore how UNRWA apologists have operated with impunity over t... Read more

Jerry Carino - Asbury Park Press Staff Writer In early 2022, longtime Wall High School art teacher Jill Alexander shipped four of her oil paintings to an exhibit in Denver with a bit of trepidation. She’d created the works — scenes from Cuba inspired by travel there — in the presence of her ailing mother; they lived together in Wall and Jill was her caregiver. “It was uplifting for her when there wasn’t a whole lot to be uplifted about,” Jill Alexander said. Carol Alexander died of bone-marrow c... Read more

New legislation (HR 8125) introduced this week by Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Tom Suozzi (D-NY) would rename the address of the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office in Washington, DC as 1 Jimmy Lai Way in honor of the renowned Hong Kong human rights defender who remains unjustly imprisoned by Hong Kong authorities. A 76-year-old democracy advocate and media entrepreneur, Lai has been incarcerated since December 2020 on multiple fabricated charges and is currently serving a sentence of almost six ye... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) today issued the following statement on the passing of Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. of Newark: “Donald Payne Jr., like his father before him, was a dedicated public servant who worked to improve the lives of New Jersey families. He was a compassionate legislator who cared deeply for people in need. As Chairman of the House Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee, Donald helped lead the charge in improving our transportation infrastructure. I was prou... Read more

Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Tom Suozzi (D-NY), the Co-Chairs of the Congressional Uyghur Caucus, this week introduced legislation—the Uyghur Genocide Accountability and Sanctions Act (UGASA)—to bolster the fight against the Chinese Communist Party’s ongoing genocide of Uyghurs. The Smith-Suozzi bill (HR 8124) strengthens provisions in the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 and expands existing sanctions and other measures to make sure Chinese officials are held accountable for their horrif... Read more

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith—Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Global Human Rights Subcommittee and Co-Chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission—today called on the government of Azerbaijan to provide Dr. Gubad Ibadoglu, an economist who has been unjustly imprisoned, with immediate access to medical care following his recent transfer from prison to house arrest: “This heroic political prisoner suffers from a number of medical conditions, which have been greatly aggravated by the lack of a... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) today took to the House Floor during debate and urged his colleagues to pass legislation (HR 8034) that would provide more than $26 billion in critical military assistance to Israel while prohibiting any US funds from flowing to the failed and pervasively antisemitic United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza. The bill was passed by the House in a vote of 366-58. “The United States must make absolutely clear in both word and deed, not just today, but every da... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) today voted in favor of comprehensive legislation (HR 3602) to secure the US southern border as President Biden refuses to resolve the ongoing crisis with existing executive authorities available to him. “The chaos at our southern border constitutes a grave national security and humanitarian crisis that continues to put the lives of so many at risk,” said Rep. Smith. “President Biden’s open border policies—and his outright refusal to implement existing executive ... Read more