A hearing to review the U.S. programs designed to help developing countries produce clean drinking water was held today by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, Chairman of the U.S. House subcommittee on global health. Featuring top U.S. government officials overseeing water programs, the hearing was entitled "The Impact of U.S. Water Programs on Global Health." Testifying were: Christian Holmes, Global Water Coordinator, U.S. Agency for International Development; Aaron A. Salzberg, Ph.D., Special Coordinator... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), a leading voice on foreign affairs and human rights in the U.S. Congress, spoke on the House floor today in support of the Nuclear Iran Prevention Act of 2013. “The Iranian government is estimated to be a little more than a year away from becoming a nuclear weapon state – an unprecedented and absolutely unacceptable threat. We need this legislation to strengthen existing economic sanctions,” said Smith, co-chair of the Bi-Partisan Anti-Semitism Task Force and cha... Read more

The African diplomatic corps officially presented recommendations for the reauthorization of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to members of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations. “In the reauthorization process for AGOA, we want to make some improvements so that a successful program can extend more benefits to an even broader number of businesses,” said U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, Chairman of the subcommittee. Smith told... Read more

The Sandy-battered community of Belmar received a sizable boost today with the announcement that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded a $9.24 million grant to help pay for the reconstruction of its boardwalk, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) said today. The decision will provide $9,244,688.54 in Federal funding to Belmar for the use of contractors for the replacement of the boardwalk destroyed as a result of Superstorm Sandy, and is authorized under section 406 of the Robert T... Read more

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, Chairman of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations, is convening a news conference with Congressional colleagues to officially receive recommendations for the reauthorization of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) from the African diplomatic corps. The news conference will be held: WHEN: Wed., July 31, at 1:30 p.m. WHERE: Room 2200 in the Rayburn House Office Building. The diplomatic corps report ... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) met with Georgian Court University students who are volunteers for RESULTS, an organization dedicated to ending poverty by enabling individuals and families around world to sustain themselves. They discussed various federal and international issues. Smith is the chairman of the House Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations Subcommittee. Georgian Court is located in Ocean County, N.J. in Smith's Fourth Congressional District. The ... Read more

BY CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH - President Obama must seriously and robustly defend the Vietnamese people in their heroic struggle against an ever-worsening dictatorship led by President Truong Tan Sang. Religious persecution, torture, incarceration of journalists and bloggers as well as other human rights abuses in Vietnam have gone from bad to worse — with 2013 on track to be one of the worst ever. Within the past four months alone — on April 11 and June 4 — I’ve chaired two more congressional hearin... Read more

For the first time ever, a U.S. Congressional panel held an African diplomatic meeting this week featuring African ambassadors discussing security issues. Chaired by Rep. Chris Smith, the U.S. House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations heard presentations from four African ambassadors on terrorism, drugs and international crime, piracy and other issues. Addressing the subcommittee July 24 were His Excellency Somduth Soborun, Ambassador of the... Read more

BY CARLOS AVILA - Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman on Thursday announced arrests of a Lakewood man and five more associates on charges of human trafficking for allegedly operating brothels in Lakewood in Ocean County that were part of a network of brothels in New Jersey. Lakewood is in Congressman Chris Smith’s district so this human trafficking arrest hits close to home, considering Smith’s longtime advocacy for trafficking victims. The law allowed federal human trafficking grants to cre... Read more

Malia Rulon Herman, Gannett Washington Bureau - Two New Jersey lawmakers who have long fought human trafficking said Thursday that in light of the massive prostitution ring uncovered in Lakewood, they would redouble efforts to call attention to the growing problem. Republican Sen. Jeff Chiesa, who has worked on human trafficking cases in his former job as the state’s attorney general, said he’s talking to both Democrats and Republicans about what more can be done legislatively to combat traffick... Read more