Rep. Christopher Smith, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, issued the following statement with regard to a delay in elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo that had been scheduled for Sunday, December 23: “I find the postponement of elections—attributed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s electoral commission, or CENI, to ‘technical’ difficulties—to be utterly disingenuous. Responsibility rests with Joseph Kabila and his government, which have already delay... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations, and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women’s Issues, released the following statement on the impending verdict in the trial of Igor Bitkov in Guatemala: “In April of this year, we learned about the plight of... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith’s (R-NJ) legislation to ensure ISIS genocide victims in Iraq and Syria receive humanitarian relief and hold the perpetrators accountable for their crimes was signed into law by the President today. “When genocide or other atrocity crimes are perpetrated, the United States should direct humanitarian, stabilization, and recovery aid to enable these groups to survive–especially when they are minorities whose existence as a people is at-risk,” Smith stated. “My law would codify this... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith’s (R-NJ) five-year, $30 billion extension of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was signed into law by President Donald Trump today at the White House, continuing a successful program that has saved tens of millions of lives. “Each year we are closer and closer to achieving an AIDS-free world, and an AIDS-free generation, and my law will bring us one giant step closer to achieving this goal,” Smith stated. “So much has been accomplished since the beginning o... Read more

President Donald Trump signed two bills authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) into law on Tuesday: a five-year, $30 billion extension of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and the Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act, legislation to ensure ISIS genocide victims in Iraq and Syria receive humanitarian relief and hold the perpetrators accountable for their crimes. Smith’s Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act was introduced in the House over two ... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House global human rights subcommittee, on Tuesday welcomed the State Department’s inclusion of Russia on its religious freedom “Special Watch List” for governments that engage in or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom. “The violations of religious freedom in Russia are real, thoroughly documented, and at times brutal,” Smith stated at a hearing he chaired of the Helsinki Commission on “Religious Freedom in Eurasia” Tuesday. “The Russian gover... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) announced the winner of the New Jersey Fourth Congressional District’s 2018 Congressional App Challenge on Tuesday, a nationwide competition for high school students to showcase their software app skills and teamwork. “Congratulations to the winning students from Communications High School for their exceptional app ‘BrainHack,’” Rep. Smith stated, announcing the winner of the NJ-04 2018 Congressional App Challenge during Computer Science Education Week, the week of... Read more

“I am unalterably opposed to oil and gas drilling and exploration off New Jersey’s coastline, the first step of which is seismic airgun blasting,” Rep. Smith said today in response to the Administration’s announcement that it would approve requests for seismic airgun blasting off the Atlantic Coast. “Not here, not now, not ever,” said Smith who is working with a multi-state bipartisan group of Members to halt oil and gas exploration off the Atlantic Coast. Smith has signed on to a letter—with 93... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House Global Human Rights Subcommittee, will hold a hearing on reviewing international child abduction on Monday, December 10. Parents of internationally abducted children will testify, as well as the executive director of a non-profit dedicated to returning children wrongfully abducted by a parent to Japan. “Left-behind parents, whose children have been abducted to a foreign country by an estranged spouse, were heartened when the Sean and David Goldman A... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), who has fought long and hard to protect and expand critical missions at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, appeared with military leaders, federal, state, and local officials, and others on Monday at the groundbreaking of a major construction project that will begin a significant new chapter in the history of the Joint Base. “Today we celebrate and break ground on the first construction project for the newest mission at the Joint Base that is critical to our national secu... Read more