As victims of the repressive Ethiopian government looked on, Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Rep. Al Green(TX-09) and Rep. Mike Coffman (CO-06) brought international attention to the oppressive actions taken by the Government of President Mulatu Teshome at a press conference held this afternoon. “When I visited Ethiopia on a fact finding trip, then-Prime Minister Meles Zenawi was nonchalant about the shootings of peaceful demonstrators, arrests of innocents. The head of the main opposition party was ... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), former Chairman of the House Veteran's Affairs Committee, provided the following remarks on the House Floor today: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark Suicide Prevention Month and to join with my colleagues in helping to raise awareness of—and combat—the staggering rate of suicide among our veteran population. The men and women of our military make tremendous, selfless sacrifices on behalf of each and every American. As a result, many veterans return from service with phy... Read more

BY TOM HAYDON for The Star-Ledger - They walked in groups of two and threes, each person carrying a candle as they slowly passed through the township Memorial Garden to honor the 37 residents killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks 15 years ago. "No one remembers the horror of that day more than the families of the victims," Rep. Chris Smith (R-4th Dist) reminded the audience. More than 300 people participated in the solemn candlelight walk as a bagpiper played "Amazing Grace" at the conclusion... Read more

On the eve of the signing of the landmark Violence Against Women Act, Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) visited the New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence (NJCEDV) in Hamilton to announce that the organization will receive a federal grant of $91,641 through the United States Department of Justice (USDOJ). “The New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence is a lifeline for women and children across our state who have been victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault and violence,” said Smith, ... Read more

Story and photos by Joseph Sapia - In about four years, Monmouth County could have its first permanent residences for military veterans in need of housing. The Massachusetts-based “Soldier On,” a nonprofit group that fights homelessness in the veterans community, laid out its concept for a series of co-op units on 12-1/2 acres on Essex Road at a press conference Tuesday. “Fifty to 100 (units) is what we set as our goal,” said Jim Scalise, Soldier On’s engineer. Based on 75 units, or the middle ... Read more

Eritrea, the North Korea of Africa, will be the topic of a House hearing next Wednesday entitled “Eritrea: A Neglected Regional Threat.” The hearing, held by Rep. Chris Smith, Chairman of a House panel on Africa, will include testimony from Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs as well as leaders of several Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). “For decades, Eritrea has been an antagonistic neighbor in the Horn of Africa region and has been relentless in its denial of human righ... Read more

Today the House passed the landmark Justice against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (S. 2040), also known as JASTA, a bill overturning the legal obstacles that have stood between the families of 9/11 victims and the justice they rightly seek from foreign governments and individuals suspected of financing the attacks. The bill, which has unanimously passed both Chambers of Congress, will now be sent to the President’s desk. “Time has not diminished the suffering of those who lost loved ones on that day... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO) will be holding a news conference on Tuesday, September 13 to express their views on what the Ethiopian and American governments should do to redress the increasingly tragic situation in Ethiopia. The conference will coincide with the introduction of a bipartisan resolution urging that action be taken to stem the denial of human rights and outright abuse of citizens by the Ethiopian government. “The increasingly brutal repression of Ethiopian citi... Read more

With 9/11 victim's families looking on, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) delivered the following remarks on the House Floor today: Mr. SMITH of New Jersey… Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman GOODLATTE for his extraordinary work on this legislation, Mr. CONYERS, and, of course, PETER KING who has been absolutely tenacious picking up the good work that Dan Lungren, a former member of Congress and Attorney General of California, had done on this legislation previously. This is a bipartisan piece of... Read more

Excerpts from Congressman Chris Smith's (NJ-04), Chairman of a House panel on Human Rights, Statement on the House Floor: Mr. SMITH of New Jersey… Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce H.R. 5961, the Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act of 2016. Since ISIS’ blitzkrieg across the multiethnic and religiously diverse mosaic of eastern Syria and western Iraq in 2014, I have chaired four hearings focused on the implications of this appalling advance for religious and ethnic minoriti... Read more