Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), who has been working to help alleviate the threat of lead in drinking water for Trenton Water Works (TWW) customers in Mercer County, supported an amendment on the House floor July 1 to significantly increase funding authorized for the federal Lead Reduction Grant Program to $4.5 billion annually for the next five years. “Clean drinking water is the most basic of necessities,” Smith said. “It is the responsibility of the local, State and federal officials to do ev... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), a longtime leader on human rights issues in Congress, today condemned as “genocide” efforts by the Chinese Communist government to forcibly suppress the birth rates of ethnic minority populations on Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) through forced sterilizations, abortions, and detention. Smith also renewed his call for the International Olympic Committee to remove the 2022 Winter Olympics from China and urged the U.S. Olympic Committee to convey its conde... Read more

At a congressional hearing today, Rep Chris Smith (R-NJ), author of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act said “the great people of Hong Kong had a sweeping, draconian, anti-democracy policy imposed upon them yesterday—the so-called National Security Law.” Smith said, “President Xi Jinping has today massively broken his government’s solemn promise embedded in the Basic Law and in an internationally recognized treaty—the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration—to respect the human rights of th... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) welcomed today’s United States Supreme Court ruling in USAID v. Alliance for Open Society upholding a key amendment he wrote in 2003 to the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act that provides federal funding to foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) provided they have a policy explicitly opposing sex trafficking and prostitution. Smith said, “Today’s Supreme Court decision is a major victory in the struggle against HIV, for human ... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith’s (R-NJ) joined Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Presidential Advisor Ivanka Trump, and U.S. anti-trafficking ambassador John Richmond today at the State Department for the release of the 20th annual “Trafficking in Persons” or TIP Report mandated by Smith’s groundbreaking human trafficking law enacted in 2000 “The TIP Report is a key component of our nation’s robust efforts to combat human trafficking which ruins childhoods, leaves victims scarred for a lifetime and enriches hu... Read more

With the U.S. and all nations aggressively combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of African countries face the added threat of starvation wrought by a devastating locust plague, leading Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) to author the bipartisan East Africa Locust Eradication Act to help mitigate the crisis. Smith, the former chairman and current ranking Republican of the congressional panel that oversees U.S. policy on Africa and global health issues, was joined by Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), the current... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) is an original cosponsor of the JUSTICE Act, introduced in the House of Representatives today, which he says is “designed to ensure greater transparency and accountability in policing in order to build safer communities.” The prime authors of the JUSTICE Act—Just and Unifying Solutions to Invigorate Communities Everywhere—are Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN). Smith said: “The murder of George Floyd while in custody by a Minneapolis police officer dema... Read more

BY DAN RADEL, APP Staff Writer The 25-passenger limit was lifted on party boats but operators are far from a return to normal. The boats are still required to maintain a six-foot social distance space between anglers, plus must continue to comply with all public health measures in accordance with Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive orders prevent the spread of COVID-19. Still, the ease of the restrictions will mean party boat owners can put a few more people on their boats as the industry gears up for ... Read more

By Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) In signing an executive order on policing today—Safe Policing for Safe Communities—President Trump said that “reducing crime and raising standards are not opposite goals.” This is an important step forward. If done right, new policies now under consideration at the local, state and federal levels should be designed to bring transparency, accountability and ensure the highest attainable law enforcement standards in order to build safer communities. Better training inclu... Read more

An additional $1.7 million in emergency federal funding has been awarded to Monmouth County to provide shelter and/or rental assistance for homeless families and individuals during the coronavirus pandemic, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) said today. The funding comes from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act which Smith supported and was signed into law by President Trump on March 27. “This federal grant will give more people access to subsidized housing as we battle through t... Read more