Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Co-Chair of the Israel Allies Caucus, today issued the following statement marking one year since Hamas’ barbaric terrorist attack on Israel: “Today, we remember with deep sadness the more than 1,200 innocent men, women and children who were mercilessly slaughtered by Hamas terrorists in the most fatal incident of antisemitic violence since the Holocaust. We also continue to grieve with the families of the hostage... Read more

In response to Sudanese warlord Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s recent meeting in New York with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) today called on the Biden-Harris Administration to sanction the leaders of both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for their gross violations of internationally recognized human rights. “Burhan has blood on his hands and should never have been let into the United States—let alone received by the UN Secretary-Gener... Read more

On the heels of a recent report documenting Biden-Harris Administration support for censorship in Brazil, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), the Chair of the House Global Human Rights Subcommittee, has introduced legislation to stop U.S. taxpayer funds from flowing to progressive non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that are promoting Brazil’s escalating crackdown on free speech. “The Biden-Harris Administration has weaponized U.S. foreign assistance programs and other means to promote censorship in Bra... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) today issued the following statement in response to the Biden-Harris Administration’s approval of the construction and operations plan for the Atlantic Shores South offshore wind proposal: “The Biden-Harris Administration has foolishly greenlighted a catastrophe in the making by approving the construction and operations plan for the Atlantic Shores South offshore wind project. Allowing this project to move forward with construction when other projects have been blatantly... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Co-Chair of the Israel Allies Caucus, issued the following statement in response to the Iranian missile attack launched against Israel: “Make no mistake, the adversaries of Israel are the adversaries of the United States. Now more than ever, we must stand in absolute solidarity with our great U.S. ally—and the only true, stable democracy in the Middle East. All efforts must be made to extend the strongest support ... Read more

“This is who UNRWA is,” said Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in response to confirmed reports that Hamas’ top leader in Lebanon, Fateh al-Sharif—who was killed in an airstrike on Monday—was also employed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). “If you were surprised that Hamas’s top leader in Lebanon was also employed by UNRWA, stop kidding yourself,” said Smith, the Chair of the congressional global human rights and international or... Read more

The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) operated by the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office was awarded $1,241,250 in federal funding for major technology and communications equipment upgrades, announced Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester), who personally secured the funds through a congressional earmark. “Monmouth County—under the great leadership of Sheriff Shaun Golden—has provided top-notch and cost-effective emergency services for local residents through this critical law enforcement and first resp... Read more

In the recent high-profile indictment and arrest of Sean “Diddy” Combs, federal prosecutors used a landmark law authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) to bring sex trafficking and forced labor charges against the rapper and music mogul. Among other crimes, Combs is accused of leading a criminal enterprise to facilitate his abuse and exploitation of women, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct for over a decade. Pursuant to Smith’s Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (Publi... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC), today chaired a congressional hearing highlighting the continued plight of ethnic Armenians on the first anniversary of the fall of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan. “Azerbaijan’s genocidal blockade and ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh last year was a monstrous injustice,” said Smith, who noted that despite its egregious human rights violations, Azerbaijan is slated to host the United Nations international cl... Read more

Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) today introduced the HOTEL Act of 2024 (HR 9681)—bipartisan legislation aimed at bolstering federal efforts to combat human trafficking in hotels. “Hotels are hotspots for identifying and responding to sex and labor trafficking,” said Congressman Smith, the author of five major laws to combat human trafficking. “This critical legislation will help empower hotels to train their staff using free online trainings and resources, adopt procedur... Read more