Boy Scout Adam Pietras was only 10 when he fought off a loose Bullmastiff that got into his family’s backyard and charged his younger sister, age 7. He pushed her out of harm’s way, but the dog latched onto him instead, causing severe injuries but buying enough time for his younger brother to run for help. Adam suffered the loss of a great deal of blood and was hospitalized with more than 200 stitches. Following therapy and plastic surgery, Adam made a strong recovery. On Saturday, March 16, U.S... Read more

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) made the following statement on Saturday, March 16, 2019: The St. Patrick’s Day Parades across the country are great expressions of faith; celebrations of our rich Irish heritage and above all, a recognition of a saint who transformed not only Ireland but the world. Congratulations to this year’s Grand Marshall, Trisha Danze, and Andrew Keris, the 2019 Irish Person of the Year. To the Robbinsville Irish Heritage Association President Jim O'Donnell and Parade Vice Pr... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) issued the following statement on Tuesday: “Gateway funding is a necessity for people of my district, not a luxury. Both our regional and U.S. national economies would be devastated should a disaster befall either of the tunnel tubes—already in critical need of repairs. “New Jersey and New York are already working together to help fund Gateway, but all the East Coast—whether it be Maryland or Pennsylvania or Connecticut—could and should pitch in. We need to and will push ... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) made the following statement on Sunday: The St. Patrick’s Day Parades across the country are great expressions of faith; celebrations of our rich Irish heritage and above all, a recognition of a saint who transformed not only Ireland but the world. So special thanks to Jamie McManus and the Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee for providing a way for us to honor, revere and praise one of the greatest saints in all of Christendom. And thank you for your leadership and... Read more

The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) today named Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) a Congressional Champion, citing, among other things, Smith’s legislation to protect taxpayers and repeal provisions in the 2017 tax law that will undermine charitable giving, especially by low-and-middle income taxpayers. Members from the New Jersey YMCA State Alliance and other NJ branches were on hand at the Y’s Champions Breakfast on Capitol Hill as Smith received the award and discussed his Charitable Giving Ta... Read more

A new report by the Alzheimer’s Association released on Tuesday makes clear the challenge of the increase in cases of Alzheimer’s disease, and the necessity of helping at-risk populations prepare for the upsurge in new cases—and one day prevent Alzheimer’s altogether, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) stated. “We’ve come a long way toward understanding and treating Alzheimer’s disease, and are moving ever closer to a cure, but this report lays out the challenge yet before us and the necessity of preparing... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Ranking Member of the House global human rights subcommittee, along with Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-NY) introduced legislation (HR 1542) on Tuesday to bolster efforts to combat the opioid epidemic by cracking down on the production and import of deadly fentanyl made in China. “Chinese-made fentanyl is ending up on our streets and the human cost is real—over 29,000 overdose deaths in 2017 were fentanyl-related,” said Smith, who chaired a Subcommittee hearing in September on th... Read more

Responding to the judgment of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom that previous reviews and investigations into the 1989 murder of human rights lawyer Patrick Finucane were deficient, Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) issued the following statement: “I rejoice with the Finucane family that the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom has vindicated them. It has recognized the gross and ongoing injustice the British government has committed in refusing to conduct a truly-independent public inquiry into thi... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) introduced legislation (HR 1427) on Thursday to prioritize U.S. government business with hotels that have strong anti-human trafficking policies in place. “U.S. government travelers should be staying at hotels that are part of the solution to human trafficking, not part of the problem,” Smith said. “Six of the 10 major hotels chains in the world have taken the initiative to train their staff to recognize and report when human traffickers use their hotels for crime. These ... Read more

This week, Rep. Chris Smith, Ranking Member of the global human rights subcommittee, reintroduced the Vietnam Human Rights Act (HR 1383) to punish human rights abuses in Vietnam and help prioritize religious freedom, internet freedom, and labor rights. “It’s been a bad year for human rights in Vietnam. U.S. citizen Michael Nguyen, a father of four from Los Angeles, remains detained without due process and he was not the only American arrested and mistreated in Vietnam last year,” said Smith, who... Read more