Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), a longtime champion of human rights and democracy in Belarus and author of landmark U.S. legislation—the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004—welcomed the December 13th release of 123 political prisoners by the government of Belarus—a release made possible through the energetic efforts of President Trump. “I rejoice with everyone released and their families—today, they are free, and God willing, the remaining prisoners in Belarus will be free one day as well,” said Smith. Amo... Read more

By The Lakewood Scoop Published December 16, 2025 at 7:45 PM Congressman Chris Smith, the longtime Co-Chair of the Congressional Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Caucus, joined Kennedy this week at a high-level Lyme Disease Roundtable convened by HHS to address what both leaders described as a growing public health crisis. The discussion brought together federal health officials, members of Congress, medical experts, and Lyme disease patients to explore new diagnostics, therapies, and long-term care ... Read more

By Marc Rod Published December 16, 2025 The co-chairs of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism are urging Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to act more forcefully to protect Australia’s Jewish community and implement months-old recommendations from the country’s antisemitism envoy. In a letter to Albanese sent Monday, the ten lawmakers said that the attack, which killed at least 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration, “comes in the wake of the Australian Jewish communi... Read more

By Stacy Liberatore, US Science & Technology Editor Published 11:01 EST, 15 December 2025 Scientists have long debated a chilling question: Did the US military weaponize ticks during the Cold War? Now, Congress is demanding answers with a newly filed amendment that directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate whether federal agencies experimented with pathogen-laden ticks as tools of war. The provision, authored by New Jersey Representative Chris Smith and filed on Friday, c... Read more

By Jim Lonergan Published December 15, 2025 at 9:10 AM WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., condemned a deadly antisemitic terrorist attack this weekend at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, where gunmen opened fire during a Hanukkah celebration, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more, including children and elderly attendees. The attack occurred during a public Hanukkah gathering near the beach, where families and community members had assembled to celebrate the holiday. Aut... Read more

The author of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act of 2021— Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ)—condemned the horrific, antisemitic terrorist attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. The attackers opened fire on a peaceful Hanukkah celebration, killing at least 15 innocent people—including children and the elderly—and injuring dozens more. “My heart breaks for the victims, their families, and the entire Australian Jewish community enduring this unimaginable tragedy, and my wife, Mar... Read more

By Marc Selinger Published December 12, 2025 Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, said Dec. 11 the U.S. should designate Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia a Foreign Terrorist Organization. At a hearing on Sudan’s civil war, which pits the militia against the Sudanese Armed Forces, Smith accused the RSF of a host of crimes, including a recent deadly attack on a kindergarten. His comments came about six weeks after a bipartisan group of si... Read more

By Chris Massaro Published December 12, 2025 at 10:18 AM EST While the world’s attention has focused on Russia’s war in Ukraine and Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, Sudan remains the world’s largest displacement crisis, with some 12 million people driven out of their homes. "Sudan is under the darkest of clouds, a catastrophe that has, for far too long, been met with paralysis by the international community," Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., chair of the House Foreign Affairs Africa subcommittee, said ... Read more

By Lakewood Alerts Published December 11, 2025 A long-debated question about the origins of Lyme disease is poised for federal scrutiny after Congress approved an amendment requiring an investigation into whether the U.S. military once weaponized ticks. The provision, authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), was included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 and now awaits the President’s signature. Smith’s amendment, now Sec. 1068 of the defense bill, directs the Government... Read more

The following are excerpts of Chairman Chris Smith’s (R-NJ) opening statement at the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee’s December 11th hearing—his seventeenth hearing chaired exclusively on Sudan—entitled “Stopping the Bloodshed: U.S. Response to Crimes Against Humanity in Sudan”: Last week, I had the honor of attending President Trump’s convening of two African leaders to bring an end to decades of bloodshed and war in eastern Congo. It is through the President’s leadership, and the ti... Read more