HOWELL, NJ -- Congressman Chris Smith today joined representatives from the Stephen Siller Tunnels to Towers Foundation, local elected officials, members of law enforcement and local veterans in honoring United States Marine Corporal Scott Nokes. Nokes received the keys from the foundation to a new “smart home” which was built specifically for him and his needs as a blind double amputee resulting from his service in Afghanistan. In 2003, Smith authored the Veterans Benefit Act (PL 108-183) that ... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Africa and co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, issued the following statement of concern regarding worsening political conditions in Liberia: “Human rights advocates are increasingly alarmed by the deterioration of civil and political rights and the corruption that is occurring in Liberia under President George Weah. I am especially concerned by allegations surrounding Monrovia Mayor Jefferson Koijee and the thu... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) today released the following statement in response to the US State Department’s designation of the world’s worst violators of religious freedom: “I welcome the State Department’s designation of Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan as Countries of Particular Concern (CPC), given their systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom. “Congress has spoken out in particular with respect to Xi Ji... Read more

Legislation to eliminate the State and Local Tax deduction (SALT) cap for tax year 2020 and 2021 was passed today by the House of Representatives. The bill also raises the cap for married joint filers for 2019. “I have cosponsored legislation to get rid of the arbitrary, unfair SALT caps and the unacceptable added burden on NJ taxpayers,” said Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), who has long opposed SALT caps and who voted for today’s bill to eliminate them. Smith, who voted in 2017 against the legislatio... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith released the following statement on his votes against the impeachment of President Trump today in the House of Representatives: “The U.S. Constitution is clear and unambiguous—impeachment of any president is permitted only for treason, bribery, high crimes and misdemeanors. Undoing the will of the people expressed in a free and fair election with the proposed articles of impeachment, totally fails to meet the legal standard prescribed by the U. S. Constitution. Despite hearings ... Read more

Two major health bills authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) were attached to an end-of-year, must-pass spending package today and will become law by the end of the week. The first bill—the TICK Act—creates a “new whole-of-government national strategy to combat Lyme” and other tick borne diseases. It authorizes $150 million in federal funding for Centers of Excellence and important Lyme initiatives at the local level. “It’s taken 21 years—and over a dozen bills I’ve introduced in Congress beginnin... Read more

Two major health bills authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) were attached to an end-of-year, must-pass spending package Tuesday and will become law by the end of the week. Smith’s first bill to become law this week, the End Neglected Tropical Diseases Act (HR 3460), supports the treatment, control, and elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). It ensures that that United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) programs effectively integrate NTD treatment, control and eli... Read more

Today, on the 75th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) introduced a bipartisan resolution, H.J.Res. 81, to commend the veterans who fought in one of the most pivotal battles in World War II, which lasted from December 16, 1944, to January 25, 1945. “The Battle of the Bulge was a critical turning point in the war, and today we honor the men and women who served in the fight and endured or succumbed in this horrific attack,” said Smith, former chairman ... Read more

By Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) Our hearts break for the four victims—including brave Jersey City Det. Joseph Seals—murdered in Jersey City, and their families in yet another act of vicious anti-Semitic and police hatred. Early evidence in the investigation suggests that the perpetrators of this appalling crime had at least sympathy for the hate group Black Hebrew Israelites—and is yet another wake-up call like the anti-Semitic slaughter in Pittsburgh that demands we redouble efforts to combat anti-S... Read more

Today Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) voted for—and the House passed—the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA; S. 1790) which authorizes $738 billion for defense programs to continue to rebuild readiness, advance modernization, develop emerging technologies, enhance missile defense and confront our adversaries. The defense package also assures a 3.1 percent pay raise for our troops—the highest pay hike for members of the Armed Services in a decade. Smith Veterans Amendment Adopted Included in t... Read more