Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) praised the signing into law of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, which authorizes funding of projects at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB-MDL) in preparation for the arrival of the KC-46A refueling tankers, bringing more construction jobs to the region and further modernizing JB-MDL for the future, says Rep. Chris Smith who represents a significant portion of the base in Congress.. “The 2019 NDAA signed into law this week by President Trump provides... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, issued the following statement on the news that an Azerbaijan court commuted the remaining prison sentence of Ilgar Mammadov, a prominent Azerbaijani opposition leader and former presidential candidate: “Ilgar Mammadov’s incarceration more than five years ago was an act of political retribution by the same repressive Aliyev regime that today ordered his conditional release. Nothing illustrates more clearly the corruption of Az... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) announced today that the Robbinsville Township Fire Department has been awarded a federal grant in the amount of $18,477 through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. “This grant will be used to purchase critical smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors which the department will hand out going door-to-door to residents who need them, free of charge,” Rep. Smith stated. “This initiative will help distribute early detection devices that can save li... Read more

The Ocean Township (Monmouth County) Fire District Number 2 was awarded a grant in the amount of $67,938 from the Department of Homeland Security through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program, Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) announced today. “The grant will be used by the Fire District to purchase a new set of hydraulic rescue tools to help extricate victims of serious car crashes, and is among the most important tools the first responders bring to motor vehicle accidents and entrap... Read more

Today a bipartisan group of senior congressional members, led by Rep Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Rep Barbara Lee (D-CA), introduced legislation, HR 6651, that would extend the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for another five years. Smith and Lee were joined by original cosponsors Reps Ed Royce (R-CA), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Karen Bass (D-CA). The cosponsors of the bill released the following statement: “PEPFAR has been a spectacularly successful program... Read more

A resolution authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) condemning human rights abuses in Ethiopia, which passed the House on April 10, has been credited with helping the administration of Prime Minister Abiy bring about much-needed political reforms in the country. Tewodrose Tirfe, chair of National Advocacy for the Amhara Association of America, “The passage of the resolution had a direct impact on the reforms we are witnessing in Ethiopia.” (The people in Ethiopia’s Amhara Region have suffered human... Read more

On World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), the author of the landmark Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, called for a redoubling of U.S. efforts to fight human trafficking worldwide. “Human trafficking is still a scourge on our societies and we cannot rest until this has been eliminated,” Smith said. “On this day, I want to draw our collective attention to this horrific human rights abuse—and to the tens of millions of victims, mostly women and children, who a... Read more

On Thursday, the House passed the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act which provides Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst personnel with the largest pay raise in nine years and also authorizes $10.2 million in projects specifically for JB-MDL. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), who voted for the bill, said “It is critical that this legislation authorizes a pay raise and new equipment for the men and women serving in our nation’s armed forces. For too long their needs have been ignored, and now is the time... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations and Co-Chair of the China Commission, issued the following statement on Wednesday on U.S. airlines censoring Taiwan from their company websites: "It is unacceptable for the Chinese government to require U.S. airlines to remove Taiwan from their websites. The U.S. needs to push back against this type of economic coercion & censorship. I urge U.S. carriers not to succumb to Beijing's '... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) introduced legislation on Wednesday, with Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ) as the lead cosponsor, that would promptly set up a common local broadcast channel specifically for citizens of New Jersey, so they can receive potentially life-saving news, information, and emergency programming. “New Jersey is one of only two states without a common broadcast channel specific to the state. This means that in times of emergency—like we saw in Superstorm Sandy—many residents may not b... Read more