Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, today released the following statement on the reported Chinese Communist Party spy balloon flying over the United States: “The Chinese Communist Party’s spy balloon flying over our country is a serious national security incursion that must have decisive consequences. It is long past time that we as a nation have a more frank and sober conversation about the challenges and the costs of a strategic competition with... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) this week reintroduced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development (READ) Act through 2026 to ensure children around the world have access to quality basic education. “The global investment in children’s education gives society’s youngest members—and future leaders of our world—the knowledge and opportunities needed to make positive advancements in their own communities and work toward societies that are less prone to con... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), who was recently selected to chair the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), has reintroduced legislation (HR 638) to revoke China’s trade privileges—known as permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status—in response to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) atrocious human rights violations and ongoing genocide against Uyghurs and other Central Asian minorities. “Ever since President Clinton delinked trade with China from human rights in 1994, the Chinese C... Read more

Amid growing concerns over recent whale deaths, ongoing questions about environmental impacts and a call from 12 Jersey Shore mayors for a moratorium on offshore wind activity, Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) on Monday urged two Biden Administration Secretaries in separate letters to immediately suspend all offshore wind projects until “ecological safety can be assured.” Smith, writing on behalf of the 12 mayors, including four from his own congressional district, said, “I share their concerns ... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, today introduced a bipartisan resolution calling on the Biden Administration to add Nigeria to the State Department’s annual list of countries that violate religious freedom—known as Countries of Particular Concern (CPC)—and appoint a Special Envoy to Nigeria and the Lake Chad Region to monitor and combat atrocities in the region. Smith’s resolution comes in response to Secretary Blinken’s decision to omit Nigeria as a... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Alzheimer’s Task Force, today joined Paul Tonko (D-NY) in reintroducing a package of bipartisan legislation aimed at bolstering federal support for combating Alzheimer’s disease. The comprehensive legislative package includes the Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act—which ensures a direct funding mechanism for researchers to effectively treat Alzheimer’s—and the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) Reauthorization... Read more

As the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDs Relief (PEPFAR) marks its 20th anniversary, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), a senior US lawmaker, is highlighting the program’s major milestones—more than 25 million lives saved, 5.5 million babies born HIV-free, and 65 million HIV testing services across 50 partner countries—and calling for a continuation of the program. “PEPFAR’s success has been made possible by the twenty-year strong bipartisan support—across US congresses and presidential administrati... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester), Co-Chair of the House Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, today released the following statement marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day: “Today, we honor the more than 6 million Jews who tragically perished at the hands of Nazi persecution and those who have long mourned the loss of their loved ones. We also pay tribute to the countless survivors who suffered the unfathomable evil of the Holocaust with unparalleled courage and character. It is alarmi... Read more

Marking National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), an international leader in combating human trafficking, today issued the following statement, calling for a greater commitment from all levels of government to work with local communities—especially grassroots anti-trafficking organizations—to combat modern-day slavery: “On any given day, 27.6 million people across the world are enslaved in forced labor or sex trafficking. Tragically, the number of victims is increasin... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, today released the following statement on the appointment of Julie Turner as Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues: “The State Department’s appointment of a Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues—something I have repeatedly called for—is a tremendous step forward in the United States’ efforts to hold Kim Jong-un’s brutal communist ... Read more