At the request of Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), with Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), the non-partisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a new report on Chinese government-funded Confucius Institutes at universities in the United States; the report was released on Wednesday. “The GAO confirms that China’s censorship of sensitive topics—such as the ‘Three Ts’ of Taiwan, Tibet, and Tiananmen—extends to U.S. schools that host Confucius Institutes,” Smith, Ranking Member of the House global human... Read more

Below are excerpts of remarks of Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) on the House Floor on Wednesday: Madame Speaker, when I voted for the Brady Law in 1993—which took effect on February 28th, 1994—it was to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous persons including felons and abusers. Twenty-five years later—and 300 million background checks that have blocked 3 million purchases to dangerous individuals—few if any today seriously suggest that the Brady law should be repealed. I support the Second Amendm... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Africa, issued the following statement on the elections in Nigeria: “Yesterday, Nigeria voted. Today, votes are being counted. I am very concerned by credible reports that the vote is being tampered with. To avoid any manipulation of the tally, it is critical that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announce without delay actual results — which are certified by party agents and observers — at each polling unit ... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith, immediate past chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, issued the following statement with regard to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to postpone elections in Africa’s most populous nation by one week, and reports of violence linked to the delayed election: “Responsibility for the delay of Nigeria’s presidential election lays squarely with President Muhammadu Buhari and those close to him. Actions in advance of the election — including remova... Read more

Local New Jersey fire companies and departments can begin applying for federal grants for staffing firefighters, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) announced today. “All eligible career and volunteer fire departments in the Fourth District are encouraged to apply for these Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants, which help increase the number of firefighters and first responders to provide our communities with more security,” Smith said. “As we have already seen, this grant progra... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) issued the following statement on Monday: “At a hearing I chaired on combating anti-Semitism in 2004, the great Jewish human rights leader—and former prisoner of conscience in the Soviet Union—Natan Sharansky testified that there was not only a ‘resurgence of anti-Semitic activity in the democratic world’ but also a ‘new anti-Semitism’ that is ‘far more subtle’ and ‘poses a unique challenge’. “He said that while ‘classical anti-Semitism is aimed at the Jewish people or th... Read more

There is “both an ongoing need and reason for optimism” said Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) after hosting a meeting with top doctors and researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to explore the agency’s work regarding Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and other muscular dystrophies. Also participating in the meeting held in Smith’s office were NJ-04 constituents James Raffone and David Schultz, who have children with DMD and who are each working through their own foundations to help find a... Read more

Jerry Carino, Asbury Park Press | Feb. 8, 2019 Over the past several years, as diagnoses mushroomed, society has developed an increasing number of resources to help children with autism and their families. But once those children become adults, the resources become scarce. A $1 billion bill introduced in the House of Representatives Thursday seeks to, among other things, remedy that dropoff in support. The bipartisan bill, named the Autism CARES Act of 2019 (HR 1058) is sponsored by Republican C... Read more

By Josh Rogin Columnist | February 5 The wife of a Taiwanese human rights activist imprisoned in China will attend President Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, hoping to raise awareness of her husband’s plight and Beijing’s growing persecution of non-Chinese citizens. She is calling on Trump and all Americans to help confront China’s exporting of its authoritarianism around the world. Chinese authorities arrested Taiwanese democracy activist Li Ming-che in March 2017 in the Chines... Read more

Today, Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Mike Doyle (D-PA) introduced the bipartisan Autism CARES Act of 2019 in the House to reauthorize federal programs and activities that assist children, adults and families with Autism. The bill, HR 1058, is supported by a widespread coalition of autism and disability advocate organizations, including Autism Speaks, Autism Society of America, Association of University Centers on Disabilities, American Academy of Pediatrics, and Autism NJ. A companion bill will b... Read more