Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, sat down with Tony Perkins on Washington Watch with Tony Perkins to discuss religious persecution throughout the globe, the violence perpetrated by Hamas and other radical Islamist groups, and his recent House hearing on the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. The full interview can be viewed by clicking here. ### Read more

By The National Published December 11, 2025 Members of the US Congress on Thursday called for accountability in the civil war in Sudan, urging both sides to declare a ceasefire in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands. The Africa Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee met to discuss the US response to the humanitarian crisis. "There will never be peace in Sudan unless there's accountability for the atrocities committed by Gen [Abdel Fatah] Al Burhan of the Sudanese Armed Forc... Read more

By Catherine Yang Published December 10, 2025 China has regressed with respect to rule of law, according to the Congressional-Executive Commission on China’s (CECC) 2025 annual report, released Dec. 10, which highlights the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) long history of breaking promises. The commission was created in 2000 to monitor human rights and rule of law in China. “Broken promises are not an exception; they are a feature of how the CCP deals with the world and with its own people,” comm... Read more

A critical amendment authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) to investigate whether the U.S. military weaponized ticks with Lyme disease has been included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26 NDAA) (S. 1071), which has cleared the U.S. House of Representatives, headed to the Senate, and is expected to be signed by President Trump upon its final passage. Smith’s amendment—now Sec. 1068 of the bill—directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO)—the Congressional “w... Read more

By Madalaine Elhabbal Published December 10, 2025 at 15:30 PM U.S. President Donald Trump is crafting a sanctions plan to increase pressure on the Nigerian government amid ongoing Christian persecution, according to a leading member of Congress. President Trump “is in the process of crafting a comprehensive action plan including sanctions to pursue reform,” according to Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, who described Nigeria as “ground zero,” and the “focal point of the most brutal and murderous a... Read more

By Chris Chase Published December 10, 2025 The U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China’s (CECC) latest annual report – released to coincide with International Human Rights Day – features seafood prominently as it calls on Congress and the U.S. government as a whole to do more to combat forced labor. Seafood from China has been under scrutiny by the U.S. government, in part thanks to a report released by The Outlaw Ocean Project which released findings of a multi-month investigation into... Read more

By Elise Winland Published December 9, 2025 Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., is spotlighting Sudan’s deepening civil war and the mounting atrocities against civilians ahead of a new congressional hearing on the conflict. Smith, a Catholic who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, will lead his 17th congressional hearing on Sudan Dec. 11. He said the scale of mass violence since the Sudanese Civil War began in 2023 demands urgent action from U.S. officials and the international commun... Read more

On Thursday, December 11th, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, will chair his seventeenth congressional hearing on the civil conflicts in Sudan and the resulting human rights abuses against civilians in the country. “Since 2023, as many as 18,000 civilian deaths have been committed in Sudan—with estimates as high as 150,000—and more than 10 million people have been displaced as a direct result of the Sudanese Civil War,” said Smith. “The catastro... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), issued the following statement, welcoming President Lai Ching-te’s announcement that Taiwan would be investing $40 billion to meet defense needs: “President Lai understands that cutting edge deterrence capabilities are needed to protect Taiwan—a democratic Chinese society free from tyranny, where the people are able to achieve both liberty and wealth. “Free and prosperous Taiwan presents a stark contras... Read more

By Elise Winland Published December 5, 2025 The House approved legislation Dec. 4 to bar federal funding from any K-12 school that receives money from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), as lawmakers sharpen scrutiny of Beijing’s attempts to influence American education. The measure, the PROTECT Our Kids Act (HR 1069), passed by a vote of 247-164, with all 164 opposing votes coming from Democrats. Republican Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey, a Catholic, said the bill, which was introduced by Rep... Read more