“Left-behind” parents came from across the country to watch as Members of the House of Representatives voted to unanimously pass a bill to help bring home American children abducted to overseas destinations, said Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), the author of the legislation and chairman of the House congressional panel which oversees human rights. “The bill gives us continued hope that our elected officials grasp the enormity and the severity of this ongoing injustice and pail inflicted upon th... Read more

Human rights abuses against Coptic Christians, moderate Muslims and other religious minorities, and the threats to stability and peace in Egypt were among the topics of a congressional hearing held by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees global human rights issues, on Tuesday, Dec. 10, the anniversary of the founding of International Human Rights Day. “It is fitting that we are holding this hearing today, on International Human Rights Day, beca... Read more

The threats to stability and peace in Egypt will be the topic of a congressional hearing Tuesday chaired by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees global human rights issues. “Human Rights Abuses in Egypt,” is the title of a joint hearing to be held before the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations and the Subcommittee Middle East and North Africa. Witnesses will focus on role of moderate Muslim... Read more

The United Nations Security Council yesterday passed a watered down resolution transitioning responsibility of the African-led International Support Mission in the Central Africa Republic (MISCA), to the African Union (AU) while postponing preparations for a United Nations-led Peacekeeping Mission by at least three months, said U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), who chaired a recent congressional hearing on the crisis in the Central Africa Republic (CAR). “In effect, the Council has deferred taking ... Read more

Amid powerful and often emotional testimony, five young women appealed to Vice President Joe Biden, who is now in China, to bring their unjustly-imprisoned fathers’ plights to the attention of the Chinese government, and seek their release. They spoke passionately at a hearing held by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and chair of its subcommittee on global human rights. “I join with my fellow sisters here today to request Vice President Biden to... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), a longtime human rights advocate in Congress, released the following statement on the death of Nelson Mandela: "It is with deep sadness that we mourn the passing of Nelson Mandela," Smith said. "President Mandela waged a long and arduous struggle to end the racist policy of apartheid. In prison for 27 years, he chose the path of truth and reconciliation over violence and famously said that ‘as I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I... Read more

The congressional hearing “Their Daughters Appeal to Beijing: ‘Let Our Fathers Go!’” will be held by Chairman Chris Smith (NJ-04), head of the global human rights subcommittee in the House of Representatives, and co-chairman of the U.S. Commission on China. Who: Chairman Smith, (NJ-04) co-chair of the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Senior Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and chair of its subcommittee on global human rights; other members of the subcommittee, and w... Read more

Brookdale Community College’s Linda Wang, Professor of Mathematics (center) was recently honored in a Washington DC ceremony in which she and 36 other teachers across the country were selected for the prestigious Professor of the Year award offered by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The program salutes “the most outstanding undergraduate instructors in the country—those who excel as teachers and influence th... Read more

The typhoon-ravaged Philippines, the findings of the bipartisan congressional delegation (CODEL) led by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) to the Philippines from Nov. 22-26, and the responses of U.S. government and international aid organizations were the focus of a hearing on Tuesday before the House global health panel chaired by Smith. Super-typhoon Haiyan made its first landfall November 8th with wind speeds of 195 mph, making it the strongest storm in history at the time of landfall. An estim... Read more

With a December 9th deadline for Members of Congress and congressional staff to sign up for Obamacare health insurance, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) released new evidence of President Obama violating pro-life laws and providing taxpayer funding for insurance plans that include abortion on demand. “In the run-up to passage of Obamacare, Americans were repeatedly told and reassured by President Obama himself, including in a speech to a joint session of Congress in October 2009, that ‘under our pl... Read more