By Micah McCartney Published January 16, 2026 at 3:09 PM EST The United States has clinched a sweeping agreement with Taiwan that would reduce tariffs on the "Silicon Island" in exchange for up to a quarter‑trillion dollars in investments, a move that carries significant security implications for Taipei amid mounting pressure from China. The deal follows similar arrangements Washington struck last year with Japan, European countries and China that brought down trade duties Trump had ratcheted up... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), issued the below statement following the U.S. Department of Commerce’s announcement that the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) have signed a historic trade deal that will enhance Taiwanese investment in U.S. domestic semiconductor supply chains, combating global reliance on Chinese technology: “Today’s momentous trade agr... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, and Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, today introduced legislation to impose targeted sanctions against the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship and hold it accountable for its crimes against the Catholic Church, the clergy, and the people of Nicaragua. “Our bill outlines serious economic penalties that can be leveraged to hold the corrupt Nicaraguan government to... Read more

At today’s House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, “Winning the AI Arms Race Against the Chinese Communist Party,” senior member Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) raised serious concerns about the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s weaponization of AI technology to violate international human rights standards and spread disinformation about historical events, such as Tiananmen Square. Watch his exchange with witness Matt Pottinger, former Deputy U.S. National Security Advisor, by clicking here. ### Read more

By Jerry Carino Published January 13, 2026 at 5:06 a.m. ET TOMS RIVER -- On D-Day, Leonard “Bud” Lomell performed one of the great feats of valor in World War II, leading a group of Army Rangers who scaled 100-foot cliffs and disabled five big German guns that threatened the Allied landing at Normandy’s Utah and Omaha beaches. Lomell, who grew up in Point Pleasant Beach and later lived in Toms River, gained worldwide acclaim in the 1990s when his actions on June 6, 1944, were featured in books b... Read more

By Jeanne Wall Published January 13, 2026 at 4:21 AM NEW JERSEY— The newly constructed Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient facility was officially named the Leonard G. “Bud” Lomell VA Clinic during a ceremony held this month, honoring the life and legacy of a decorated World War II hero and longtime Ocean County resident. The naming follows legislation, covered in a previous TAPinto article, that was introduced by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) in July and signed into law by President Trump in Se... Read more

By Lakewood Alerts Published January 11, 2026 Rep. Chris Smith announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $1.5 million in federal funding to the Ocean County Utilities Authority (OCUA) for a major wastewater treatment infrastructure improvement project. The funding was secured through a congressional earmark Smith included in the 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act (Public Law 118-42). The funds will be used to replace and upgrade Primary Digester No. 2 at the Ocean Cou... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) today announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has provided $1.5 million in critical federal funding to the Ocean County Utilities Authority (OCUA) for a greatly needed wastewater treatment improvement project. The funds were made possible by Smith’s direct earmark to the OCUA, which he included in the 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act (PL 118-42). “I am pleased to announce that the Ocean County Utilities Authority—which owns and operates the Cent... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus and stalwart defender of mothers and the unborn, today debated on the House floor on the need to apply Hyde Amendment protections to pending legislation that would extend the COVID-era Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credit. The Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funds from paying for elective abortion, was neither included in the original ACA enacted by President Obama in 2010, nor was it appended when President ... Read more

By Karen Wall Published January 8, 2026 at 3:23 PM ET TOMS RIVER, NJ — After lengthy delays, the new Veterans Affairs outpatient medical clinic in Toms River finally bears the name of Leonard G. "Bud" Lomell, the World War II hero from Ocean County. The clinic opened in November 2024, and efforts to name it for Lomell — a D-Day hero whose actions as an Army Ranger in Normandy saved the lives of thousands of soldiers during the D-Day invasion — had stalled for nearly two years. On Tuesday, Lomell... Read more