Japan remains a haven for parental child abductions and a U.S. lawmaker Wednesday urged the Trump administration to do more to pressure the country to fulfill its obligations under international law. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., said during congressional testimony that between 300 and 400 children of international marriages have been abducted from the U.S. to Japan since 1994, and that more than 35 are still awaiting reunification with their American parents. “Every day these children are separated... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith’s (R-NJ) resolution, H.Res. 128, which condemns human rights abuses in Ethiopia and outlines steps the Ethiopian government can take to promote peace and democracy, passed the House on Tuesday afternoon in a voice vote. Before the vote, Smith spoke on the House Floor on Tuesday afternoon in support of his resolution which he introduced. (Click here to read Smith's resolution) “H.Res. 128 is a visible and necessary manifestation of deep Congressional concern that egregious... Read more

Twenty years ago today the Good Friday Agreement was signed – bringing peace to Northern Ireland. The agreement was extraordinarily difficult to achieve, but a remarkable framework for reconciliation. In the 30 years leading up to the 1998 agreement, approximately 3,500 people were killed in political violence. In the 20 years since the Good Friday Agreement, fewer than 100 have lost their lives to acts of political violence. Our government did a lot to facilitate the agreement – which was actua... Read more

The US administration needs to press China harder over the detention of hundreds of thousands of Muslim Uighurs in ‘‘political education centers,’’ including dozens of relatives of reporters working for Radio Free Asia in Washington. That’s the message conveyed in a letter from Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, and Rep. Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican, the cochairmen of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, to the US ambassador in Beijing, Terry Brandstad, on Wednesday. Rub... Read more

he Fourth District Service Academy Information Night will be held Wednesday, April 19, 2018, from 5:30 to 7:30 at Naval Weapons Station Earle, 201 Highway 34 in Colts Neck, NJ, Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) has announced. Read more

Key provisions from Smith’s Kevin and Avonte’s Law (HR 4221)—designed to help protect and locate children with Autism and elderly persons with Alzheimer’s who wander— were included in the Omnibus bill signed into law last week. The spending package authorized $10 million in funding over five years for the Missing Americans Alert Program. “The new provisions and the added funding will support critical wandering prevention programs that have saved lives, and will continue to save lives,” Rep. Chr... Read more

A bill introduced by Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) to name the U.S. Post Office in Belmar, NJ after Dr. Walter S. McAfee, a distinguished local scientist who helped develop the communications capability for the U.S. to enter the Space Age, was signed into law last week. “I am grateful that we can honor this man, Dr. Walter S. McAfee, a trailblazer who did so much for our country and for the Fort Monmouth community,” Rep. Smith stated. “Dr. McAfee was not just known for his accomplished career ... Read more

Today, Congressmen Christopher Smith (R-NJ-04) and Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA-13) sent a letter urging the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to abandon its current proposal to outsource federal oversight of facilities regulated by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) to private industry. This proposal would seriously compromise the integrity of the AWA inspection process and undermine protections for millions of animals at commercial breeding operations, medical laboratories, zoos, and other f... Read more

Local New Jersey fire departments can apply for federal grant funding to train more “front line” firefighters beginning on Monday, March 26, Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) has announced. The grant program is the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program, which will provide $345 million in total grants for local fire departments and volunteer interest organizations around the country. The program is run by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency... Read more

Congressman Smith met with Freehold Township High School students (from left) Victoria Varlack, Joshua Eiger and Riya Prasad, all of Manalapan Township, before the "March for Our Lives" rally on Saturday in Freehold they organized to bring attention to gun violence in our schools and our nation. Rep. Smith and the students shared views about legislation, the Second Amendment, Congress and related matters. Rep. Smith issued the following statement after the meeting: “Although the spending bill th... Read more