Marking the opening of the New Jersey National Guard’s new 86,000 sq. ft., state-of-the-art training facility in Sea Girt, N.J., keynote speaker Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) said the impressive center, “couldn’t come at a more important and critical time in our history, both globally as well as domestically.” “There are wars, there are threats of war and the war on terror is showing no signs of abatement,” Smith said. “Training is what wins these wars and what mitigates casualties—and mitigates con... Read more

BY JERRY CARINO, APP STAFF WRITER - Summer ends in a month, but tick season does not. It’s a mistake, potentially a costly one, to believe ticks disappear when the nights get cooler in September and October. “You can get bitten by a tick year-round,” said Patricia Smith, president of the Wall-based Lyme Disease Association. “Unfortunately, now we know the ticks can be active when it’s above freezing.” The debate surrounding the most infamous tick-borne illness also doesn’t seem to be ending. Lym... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) released the following statement on the events that took place in Charlottesville, VA: White supremacists, including the KKK and neo-Nazis, are consumed by racism, hate and bigotry and are extremely dangerous. History has shown us the horror that results when individuals and entire groups of people are dehumanized. We must commit to ensuring that hate-filled violence is never again ignored or tolerated. As the nation mourns the tragic loss of Heather Heyer, the white supr... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House panel on global human rights, today praised Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for highlighting the ongoing genocide of Christians, Yezidis and minority Muslims at the hands of ISIS in the “International Religious Freedom Report.” In the preface of the report, released this morning, Tillerson says, “ISIS is clearly responsible for genocide against Yezidis, Christians and Shia Muslims in areas it controlled.” “I want to commend Secretary Tillerson for ... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), received the prestigious Wei Jingsheng Foundation’s Human Rights and Freedom Defender award for, “his decades-long devotion and effort to improve human rights and freedom all over the world, especially in China.” In presenting the award, Wei, who spent 18 years in Chinese prisons for advancing democracy and human rights, described Smith as a, “very tough, very honest and very passionate politician.” “We’ve talked openly and honestly and I am very sure he is a person who ... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), author of the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act (P.L 113-150), introduced an innovative new bill that will automatically remove tariff benefits for countries that are found to be out of compliance in returning children home—the “Bindu Philips and Devon Davenport International Child Abduction Return Act of 2017.” “Bindu Philips fought valiantly in India for over eight years for the return of her abducted twin sons, only to be g... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) released the following statement concerning Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s July 28th comments on genocide: “Thank you to Secretary Tillerson for designating the atrocities committed by ISIS against Christians, Yazidis and other minorities genocide. He looked at the facts on the ground and had the intellectual honesty and compassion to tell it like it is.” Tillerson's comments were first reported in the Washington Free Beacon. ### Read more

Today, the full House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to advance a resolution, authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), highlighting the human rights violations of the Ethiopian government, and offering a blueprint to create a government better designed to serve the interests of the Ethiopian people. The resolution, which passed without objection, also calls on the U.S. government to implement Magnitsky Act sanctions, targeting the individuals within the Ethiopian government who are the cause of the... Read more

A necessary delay for easing of Sudan sanctions Obama-era benchmarks for human rights progress are still missing By Chris Smith - - Monday, July 24, 2017 ANALYSIS/OPINION: The announcement last week by the Trump administration that it is delaying the Obama administration’s order to ease sanctions on Sudan was a welcome decision. The three-month delay is not long enough to give the Sudanese the impression that we are not serious about this matter, but will be long enough to complete the needed a... Read more

Today, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chair of the House panel on global health, applauded the passage of legislation he co-sponsored, the “Medicare Part B Improvement Act” (H.R. 3178). The legislation, authored by Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), will now move to the Senate for further action. “Last Congress we passed the 21st Century Cures Act, which expanded Medicare coverage to include home infusion therapy,” said Smith, who has supported expanded coverage of home infusion therapy in numerous congressiona... Read more