Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), the author of the United States’ landmark Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) used to arrest Jeffrey Epstein and convict Ghislaine Maxwell, issued the following statement in support of the Epstein Files Transparency Act (HR 4405): “Among the despicable 4,803 human trafficking predators who have been convicted under my federal anti-human trafficking law is Ghislaine Maxwell, an associate of Jeffrey Epstein, who was tried, convicted and sentenced to 20 years... Read more

By Elise Winland Published November 18, 2025 Republican Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey, a Catholic, will co-chair a Nov. 20 congressional hearing examining what lawmakers call the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) escalating “war” on religious believers. In a press release, Smith’s office said the CCP has “intensified its drive for absolute control over religion, insisting that believers subordinate conscience and conviction to the Party and to General Secretary Xi Jinping.” The statement describe... Read more

On Sunday, November 16th, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee and renowned religious freedom advocate, joined Mark Levin on FOX’s “Life, Liberty and Levin” to discuss the ongoing religious persecution of Christians throughout the globe, especially in Nigeria. The internationally recognized human rights lawmaker detailed the worsening religious persecution crisis in Nigeria, including his upcoming hearing on the matter; President Trump’s timely and ... Read more

On Thursday, November 20th, the co-chairs of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) will hold a public hearing on the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) ongoing assault against religious freedom and its national security implications for the United States. WHAT: Congressional hearing on the CCP’s efforts to quash religious freedom and oppress diverse religious communities through the means of coercion, intimidation, and transnational repression; and the subsequent implications for ... Read more

On Thursday, November 20th, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, will chair his twelfth congressional hearing on the religious persecution of Christians by radical Islamist groups in Nigeria. This hearing follows President Trump’s historic redesignation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” on October 31st. WHAT: Congressional hearing on the ongoing religious persecution of Christians by radical Islamists, such as Boko Haram and Fulani te... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), former Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and author of more than a dozen laws to help veterans, issued the following statement on the passage of HR 5371, the Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act of 2026: “Last night, I voted for—and the House passed—critical legislation to reopen the federal government after the longest shutdown in our nation’s history, caused... Read more

Earlier this week, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in response to widespread concerns about potential electoral fraud or manipulation in Honduras’ upcoming presidential election. In the letter dated November 10th, Smith urged the top U.S. officials to publicly communicate that a productive and beneficial U.S.... Read more

"On this Veterans Day, we honor and pay tribute to the extraordinarily brave men and women—and their families—who have made immense sacrifices to ensure that liberty and freedom endure. "It is because of these heroes that America continues to be the land of the free and the home of the brave. "Words are inadequate to convey our deep and profound appreciation to America’s veterans, and we ask that God continue to bless, protect, strengthen—and, when needed, heal—each and every veteran." ### Read more

By Nick Mordowanec Published November 7, 2025 at 4:53 PM ET A Washington lawmaker has sponsored legislation calling on the U.S. State Department to advance religious freedom and protect persecuted Christians in Nigeria, telling Military.com that the situation has “gotten significantly worse within the past year.” President Donald Trump threatened this week to "do things to Nigeria that Nigeria is not going to be happy about" and "go into that now-disgraced country guns-a-blazing” to counter what... Read more

By Elise Winland Published November 7, 2025 Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., introduced new legislation detailing how the U.S. should respond to the ongoing persecution of Christians in Nigeria, following President Donald Trump’s decision to designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC). In a Nov. 5 press release, Smith, a Catholic, said that Christians in Nigeria live “under the constant threat of murder, kidnapping, rape, and torture by radical Islamists, such as Boko Haram and Fulani terro... Read more