By Jonah McKeown CNA Staff, Feb 9, 2024 - The bishops of the United States have urged Congress to pass a bill aiming to combat human trafficking that would, among other things, provide grants to aid organizations in areas with high rates of trafficking. The Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2023 (H.R. 5856), sponsored by Republican Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey, would reauthorize a number of previous anti-trafficking measures first passed i... Read more

Legislation authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) that would prohibit any US contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) cleared a major hurdle, winning support from the House Foreign Affairs Committee in a vote (30-19) to send the bill to the House Floor for consideration and passage. Smith’s bill—the Stop Support for UNRWA Act of 2024 (HR 7122)—is cosponsored by Reps. Brian Mast (R-FL), Joe Wilson (R-SC) and Vern Buchanan (R-FL). “UNRWA is the most corrupt, antisemitic, ... Read more

The House Foreign Affairs Committee this week approved legislation (HRes 82) authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) that calls on the Biden Administration to designate Nigeria as one of the world’s severe religious freedom violators, teeing it up for a vote on the House Floor. Smith’s resolution rejects the Biden Administration’s decision to omit Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) in its 2021, 2022 and 2023 International Religious Freedom Reports despite widespread religious persecut... Read more

At a news conference hosted by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and attended by Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), a panel of experts from a wide-range of backgrounds raised the alarm on mounting concerns regarding the World Health Organization’s (WHO) “pandemic treaty.” The briefing comes amid the WHO’s mad dash to finalize text for the agreement in time for a vote on May 27th by the World Health Assembly. Smith’s press conference highlighted “a slew of significant issues surrounding the proposed treaty—includ... Read more

By Mark A. Kellner - The Washington Times - Thursday, February 1, 2024 Rep. Chris Smith’s journey as a campaigner for human rights and religious liberty began decades ago in a small New Jersey eatery over a meal with a Holocaust survivor. Mr. Smith’s father ran a wholesale sporting goods business next to a Jewish delicatessen in the small town of Colonia, New Jersey. One day his father took him to lunch with a man who “used to come into a Jewish delicatessen near our store, and he was a Holocau... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chair of the House Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations Subcommittee, co-chairs a hearing on Wednesday, January 31 highlighting the shocking abuses committed by UN peacekeepers stationed abroad. A congressional hearing co-chaired today by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chair of the House Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations Subcommittee, highlighted shocking abuses committed by UN peacekeepers stationed abroad—especi... Read more

A congressional hearing today co-chaired by Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Brian Mast (R-FL) further exposed the blatant antisemitism of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) just days after new evidence emerged last week that UNRWA employees were directly involved in the October 7 terror attacks. The hearing follows new legislation—the Stop Support for UNRWA Act of 2024—introduced by Smith and cosponsored by Mast and Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) that would prohibit the US Government from ... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chair of the Global Human Rights and International Organizations Subcommittee, today issued the following statement in response to the Biden Administration’s announcement that it has “temporarily paused additional funding for UNRWA” while it reviews allegations that 12 UNRWA employees may have been involved in the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel: “The Administration’s decision is long overdue and still a feeble response to the massive and irrefutable evidence... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), who earlier this week led a letter signed by 210 Members of Congress denouncing South Africa’s hostile genocide allegations against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), today issued the following statement on the ICJ ruling on South Africa’s case: “The ICJ’s ruling confirms what we knew all along—that South Africa’s grossly unfounded case against Israel is both false and dangerous. “Israel’s right to defend itself from Hamas’ brutal invasion—which include... Read more

Ahead of next week’s International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, DC, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chair of the House Global Human Rights Subcommittee, has introduced bipartisan legislation (HR 7025) to reauthorize the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)—which is set to expire later this year—through September 2026. Smith’s bill is cosponsored by Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Henry Cuellar (D-TX). “The US Commission on International Religious Freed... Read more