Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) issued the following statement on Tuesday: “Gateway funding is a necessity for people of my district, not a luxury. Both our regional and U.S. national economies would be devastated should a disaster befall either of the tunnel tubes—already in critical need of repairs. “New Jersey and New York are already working together to help fund Gateway, but all the East Coast—whether it be Maryland or Pennsylvania or Connecticut—could and should pitch in. We need to and will push ... Read more

The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) today named Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) a Congressional Champion, citing, among other things, Smith’s legislation to protect taxpayers and repeal provisions in the 2017 tax law that will undermine charitable giving, especially by low-and-middle income taxpayers. Members from the New Jersey YMCA State Alliance and other NJ branches were on hand at the Y’s Champions Breakfast on Capitol Hill as Smith received the award and discussed his Charitable Giving Ta... Read more

A new report by the Alzheimer’s Association released on Tuesday makes clear the challenge of the increase in cases of Alzheimer’s disease, and the necessity of helping at-risk populations prepare for the upsurge in new cases—and one day prevent Alzheimer’s altogether, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) stated. “We’ve come a long way toward understanding and treating Alzheimer’s disease, and are moving ever closer to a cure, but this report lays out the challenge yet before us and the necessity of preparing... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Ranking Member of the House global human rights subcommittee, along with Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-NY) introduced legislation (HR 1542) on Tuesday to bolster efforts to combat the opioid epidemic by cracking down on the production and import of deadly fentanyl made in China. “Chinese-made fentanyl is ending up on our streets and the human cost is real—over 29,000 overdose deaths in 2017 were fentanyl-related,” said Smith, who chaired a Subcommittee hearing in September on th... Read more

Responding to the judgment of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom that previous reviews and investigations into the 1989 murder of human rights lawyer Patrick Finucane were deficient, Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) issued the following statement: “I rejoice with the Finucane family that the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom has vindicated them. It has recognized the gross and ongoing injustice the British government has committed in refusing to conduct a truly-independent public inquiry into thi... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) introduced legislation (HR 1427) on Thursday to prioritize U.S. government business with hotels that have strong anti-human trafficking policies in place. “U.S. government travelers should be staying at hotels that are part of the solution to human trafficking, not part of the problem,” Smith said. “Six of the 10 major hotels chains in the world have taken the initiative to train their staff to recognize and report when human traffickers use their hotels for crime. These ... Read more

This week, Rep. Chris Smith, Ranking Member of the global human rights subcommittee, reintroduced the Vietnam Human Rights Act (HR 1383) to punish human rights abuses in Vietnam and help prioritize religious freedom, internet freedom, and labor rights. “It’s been a bad year for human rights in Vietnam. U.S. citizen Michael Nguyen, a father of four from Los Angeles, remains detained without due process and he was not the only American arrested and mistreated in Vietnam last year,” said Smith, who... Read more

At the request of Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), with Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), the non-partisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a new report on Chinese government-funded Confucius Institutes at universities in the United States; the report was released on Wednesday. “The GAO confirms that China’s censorship of sensitive topics—such as the ‘Three Ts’ of Taiwan, Tibet, and Tiananmen—extends to U.S. schools that host Confucius Institutes,” Smith, Ranking Member of the House global human... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Africa, issued the following statement on the elections in Nigeria: “Yesterday, Nigeria voted. Today, votes are being counted. I am very concerned by credible reports that the vote is being tampered with. To avoid any manipulation of the tally, it is critical that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announce without delay actual results — which are certified by party agents and observers — at each polling unit ... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith, immediate past chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, issued the following statement with regard to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to postpone elections in Africa’s most populous nation by one week, and reports of violence linked to the delayed election: “Responsibility for the delay of Nigeria’s presidential election lays squarely with President Muhammadu Buhari and those close to him. Actions in advance of the election — including remova... Read more