The following are excerpts of remarks by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) in the House of Representatives during debate on the CARES Act on March 27, 2020: Mr. Speaker, my home state of New Jersey—like many parts of the country and world—has been hard hit by COVID-19. As of today, 6,876 people have tested positive with 81 deaths. Tragically, in my district, four members of one family have died from the virus. Containing the Coronavirus pandemic, developing and deploying reliable therapeutics and creating... Read more

The following are excerpts of remarks by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) during debate in the U.S. House of Representatives on the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019 December 3, 2019 Special thanks to the 128 bipartisan cosponsors of my bill, the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019, HR 649—comprehensive human rights legislation I introduced earlier this year with lead Democratic cosponsor Tom Suozzi of New York to address the massive crimes against humanity committed by the Chinese government aga... Read more

The following are excerpts of remarks by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Republican manager of debate of H.Res. 296 on the Floor of the House of Representatives, on October 29, 2019: When the term genocide was created in 1944 to describe the systematic destruction of an entire people, its author Raphael Lemkin explained the term by saying, ‘‘it was the sort of thing Hitler did to the Jews and the Turks did to the Armenians.’’ On ordering the invasion of Poland in 1939, Adolf Hilter said: “[w]ho, a... Read more

The following are excerpts of remarks by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), prime sponsor of H.R. 3289—the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019, during Floor Debate in the U.S. of Representatives on October 15, 2019: Since the 1989 Tiananmen massacre thirty years ago, I’ve had the privilege of working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle—including Speaker Pelosi—on human rights, the rule of law and democracy for the people of China. We have always believed that every person in China dese... Read more

Excerpts from Congressman Smith's remarks from the Special Order commemorating 9/11: Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing—I was here in Washington chairing a Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing—when a group of cowards hijacked 4 airliners in order to perpetrate the worst act of terrorism in American history. Nearly 700 New Jerseyans lost their lives that day. No-one remembers the shock, horror and numbing sorrow more, however, than the families and close friends of the vic... Read more

Below are excerpts of remarks of Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) on the House Floor on Wednesday: Madame Speaker, when I voted for the Brady Law in 1993—which took effect on February 28th, 1994—it was to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous persons including felons and abusers. Twenty-five years later—and 300 million background checks that have blocked 3 million purchases to dangerous individuals—few if any today seriously suggest that the Brady law should be repealed. I support the Second Amendm... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), co-chair of the Bipartisan Congressional Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism, delivered excerpts of the following remarks on the House Floor on Thursday on his legislation, HR 221, the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 221, the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act. In 2004, I authored the provisions of law that created and required this position and office it leads a... Read more

The following are excerpts of remarks by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) during Holocaust Remembrance Week: Mr. Speaker, I rise for this Holocaust Remembrance Week to honor the people murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust, especially the six million Jews singled out for genocide. The methods of mass murder were unspeakable, horrifying and modern. The anti-Semitic hate fueling the killing was an ancient, persistent evil, a disease of the heart that dehumanizes and destroys. The late, iconic Holocaus... Read more

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey... Madam Speaker, a former abortionist, Dr. Levatino testified before Congress and described how he and other abortionists actually kill helpless babies. He killed 1,200 of them. He said: ‘‘Imagine, if you can, that you are a pro-choice OB–GYN like I was. Using a Sopher 13- inch clamp with rows of ridges or teeth, grasp anything you can inside the womb. Once you grasp something inside, squeeze on the clamp, set the jaws and pull hard—really hard. You feel something let go... Read more

This bill brings together a critical arsenal of stiff and timely sanctions trained at some of the gravest national security threats our country faces today. The Trump Administration was absolutely right in early February to put Iran ‘‘on notice’’ regarding its continued testing of ballistic missiles. This bill underscores that warning by imposing expanded sanctions against Iran’s missile program—demonstrating that the United States will not sit idly by as Iran augments its ability to blackmail I... Read more