At today’s House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) pressed Secretary of State Antony Blinken for answers on the Biden Administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, including left-behind Americans, the vetting of Afghan evacuees, untruthfulness in Biden’s phone call with Afghan President Ghani, and resulting foreign policy implications such as Taiwan. Click here or on the image to view the exchange, or view the transcript below: Transcript Rep. Smith: Mr. Secr... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) released the following statement today on the damage caused by remnants of Hurricane Ida: “The tragic loss of lives, displacement of people from their homes and immense destruction of property caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida have been utterly devastating. I commend our first responders who have courageously put their lives on the line to save those gravely endangered by heavy rains, high winds and rising floodwaters. “To bring much-needed relief to towns hit hard ... Read more

By Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) September 2, 2021 (732) 780-3035 As Afghan evacuees continue to arrive at Joint Base MDL, today I joined members of the NJ congressional delegation and the Governor for a high-level briefing at the base by U.S. Northern Command Commander General Glen VanHerck. As the process to assist and relocate the Afghan evacuees intensifies, the outstanding men and women of the Joint Base are playing a critical role in this humanitarian crisis by meeting the basic needs of tempora... Read more

A federal grant in the amount of $67,048 has been awarded to the Red Bank Public Library to adopt new measures that will improve library service to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic or other crisis, said Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) today. “Library access was—and continues to be—impacted by COVID restrictions and protocols,” said Smith who represents Red Bank and 33 other Monmouth County towns. “This grant will help library users in the Red Bank community to access services while still main... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) released the following statement on the arrival of evacuees from Afghanistan at New Jersey Joint Base MDL: “There is a both a compelling need and moral obligation to provide immediate safe haven and humanitarian aid to the refugees fleeing the unspeakable cruelty, violence and terrorism perpetrated by the Taliban in Afghanistan owing to President Biden’s disastrous August 31st exit strategy. “Many of these individuals and families arriving at the Joint Base provided vital... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) this week reintroduced Braeden’s Commission: Protect our Athletes from Exertional Heat Stroke (H.R. 4855)—bipartisan legislation named in honor of Braeden Bradforth, the college football player from Smith’s congressional district who died suddenly from exertional heat stroke following a team practice at a Kansas college on August 1, 2018. “Braeden had the highest hopes of advancing his football career and playing in the NFL one day, but exertional heat stroke ended that ... Read more

Marking this year’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), author of the landmark Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA - P.L. 106-386), today called on the United States and nations around the world to bolster and expand their efforts to combat the worldwide scourge of human trafficking and protect those who are most vulnerable. “Today especially, we shine a light on these unspeakable crimes and the millions of victims who are still in urgent need of help... Read more

Three bipartisan amendments offered by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) to enhance federal support for autism research and Lyme disease programs passed the House of Representatives as part of an en bloc amendment this week during consideration of the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2022 (H.R. 4502). The first of Smith’s amendments, cosponsored by Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA), would redirect $10 million from the HHS Office of the Secretar... Read more

When pressed by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) at a bicameral, bipartisan congressional hearing today, representatives from corporate sponsors of the 2022 Winter Olympics refused to say that the Beijing Games—dubbed the “Genocide Olympics”—should be moved to a venue in another country due to the ongoing genocide and other egregious human rights abuses perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). “Knowing what we know now about the Beijing ‘Genocide Olympics,’ should the Games be moved to another ... Read more

Amid the growing human rights crisis in Nicaragua, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) today chaired a bipartisan congressional hearing calling attention to the extreme political repression and incarceration of political opponents by President Daniel Ortega. Headlined by Bianca Jagger and the wives of two jailed presidential candidates, Smith’s hearing follows the imprisonment of at least 27 political opponents—including 6 presidential candidates—by Ortega since last month in the run-up to a November presi... Read more