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

By News Desk Published November 7, 2025 A Washington lawmaker is pushing for new legislation that urges the U.S. State Department to take stronger actions to promote religious freedom and protect persecuted Christians in Nigeria. This comes amid growing concerns about escalating violence against Christians in the country, which the lawmaker describes as having “gotten significantly worse within the past year.” President Donald Trump recently made headlines with remarks stating that the U.S. migh... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, introduced new legislation commending President Donald Trump’s recent redesignation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” and outlining the course of action the U.S. Department of State should follow in response to the Nigerian government’s complicity in the religious persecution of Christians. Smith’s new bill, H.Res.860, is cosponsored by Reps. Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Maria El... Read more

By Elise Winland Published November 5, 2025 Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., recently recalled what sparked his lifelong mission to defend religious freedom: reading “Tortured for Christ,” Romanian pastor Richard Wurmbrand’s account of underground Christians tortured under dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu. “I was moved to tears. And challenged to act,” he said during remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference’s (CPAC) Christian Persecution Summit Oct. 30. A Catholic and longtime human rights adv... Read more

By Ocean County Leader Published November 5, 2025 Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, has introduced new legislation commending President Donald Trump’s recent redesignation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) and detailing steps for the U.S. State Department in response to religious persecution in Nigeria. The bill, H.Res.860, is cosponsored by Reps. Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL). It u... Read more