U.S. Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Joe Crowley (D-NY), Ted Deutch (D-FL), and Leonard Lance (R-NJ) announced July 2 they led 42 bipartisan members in a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry expressing strong and ongoing support for the restitution of Jewish communal, private, and heirless property seized across Europe during the Holocaust. They also urged the State Department to continue efforts to address the issue swiftly and in collaboration with the legislative branch. “Beyond the physical and... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, took to the House floor last night to voice his concerns about Iran's aspirations to acquire nuclear capability and its widespread human rights violations: Mr. Speaker, the deadline is bearing down on us for the President’s nuclear agreement with Iran–so at this moment Congress must send the administration a strong message: in order to be acceptable, any agreement must bar every Iranian path to nuclear weapo... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ- 04) today chaired a hearing entitled “Is Academic Freedom Threatened by China’s Influence on U.S. Universities?” before the House global human rights subcommittee. Smith, who also chairs the U.S. Commission on China, gave the following opening statement: "I want to welcome everyone here today. This hearing is the second in a series probing the question of whether maintaining access to China’s lucrative education market undermines the very values that make American u... Read more

A House panel responsible for advancing and monitoring the nation’s health care and research laws today examined new bipartisan legislation supporting treatment and therapies derived from adult stem cell lines. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), author of the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Reauthorization Act of 2015 ( HR 2820), said he was encouraged that the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health moved quickly to include the legislation in their hearing entitled: "Examining Public Health Legisl... Read more

As International Day in Support of Victims of Torture approaches on Friday, June 26th, U.S. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) today reintroduced the bipartisan Torture Victims Relief Act (TVRA). TVRA, first passed in 1998, authorized funding to support torture treatment programs in the U.S. and abroad to help torture survivors recover from their trauma and rebuild productive lives. H.R. 2870 and S. 1670 will ensure assistance for domestic and foreign programs and... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) released the following statement regarding the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) advisory issued today regarding the ongoing Sandy Claims Review Process for National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholders: “This process is open to all Sandy victims who may have received an underpayment on their flood claim, whether due to fraud or any other reason. Thousands have already qualified for a review, and recommendations are being made,” said Smith, whose distr... Read more

A hearing entitled “Is Academic Freedom Threatened by China's Influence on U.S. Universities?” will be held June 25 by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), chairman of the global human rights subcommittee in the House of Representatives and Chairman of the U.S. Commission on China. “The Chinese educational market is a lucrative one, but we have to ask if there are any hidden costs for American schools and colleges seeking access to that market,” said Smith, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Africa... Read more

The New Jersey State Veterans of Foreign Wars has named Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), former chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, its 2015 Legislator of the Year. VFW State Legislative Director William F. Thomson presented Smith with the award Monday in Hamilton, Mercer County. VFW State Commander Jack Kane announced the honor on June 19 at the VFW's annual convention in Wildwoods Convention Center in Wildwood, N.J. “The men and women in uniform make tremendous, selfless sacrifi... Read more

A bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Doris Matsui (D-CA), introduced legislation this week to reauthorize the nation’s adult stem cell treatment and research programs and it is already scheduled for a hearing next week. In a joint statement Smith, Matsui and lead cosponsors David Jolly (R-FL) and Chaka Fattah (D-PA), underscored the need for the legislation and expressed confidence that the bill would move quickly in both the House and Senate and be signed by the ... Read more

The House Labor, Health and Human Services (L-HHS) Appropriations Subcommittee passed its fiscal year 2016 funding bill Wednesday, which included a major boost in funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to address the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) epidemic. U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), co-chair of numerous healthcare caucuses in the House of Representatives, including the Alzheimer’s Task Force, noted that the FY16 total of $31.2 billion for NIH is $1.1 billion above the current enacted ... Read more