Radicals recruited to be terrorists in foreign lands will be the topic of a hearing planned by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission. A hearing entitled “Wanted: Foreign Fighters – The Escalating Threat of ISIL in Central Asia,” is set for today, Wednesday June 10. Over the past several years, Central Asia has become an increasing source of foreign fighters for radical militant groups operating in th... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), a longtime strong proponent of medical research at the National Institutes of Health, met with members of the American Cancer Society (ACS) on Monday, June 8 at his Hamilton, N.J. Fourth Congressional District Office. The Congressman met with two ACS advocacy leaders, Wendi Silverberg of Manalapan and Helaine Rothman of Red Bank, both part of the ACS Cancer Action Network. They thanked Smith for co-sponsoring the “Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening ... Read more

By Jerry Carlino APP STAFF WRITER - The fight against Lyme disease got a boost Tuesday with news that a key funding initiative cleared hurdles in the House of Representatives. A total of $5 million for Lyme disease research was included in the Department of Defense spending bill that passed the House appropriations committee. "The funding in the DOD bill will go a long way to find better treatments for the men and women in our military who have contracted Lyme," said Congressman Chris Smith (R-4... Read more

The Chinese government’s harsh oppression of its citizens’ basic human rights and its denial of the brutal repression of the Tiananmen Massacre 26 years ago this week was the focus of a hearing today held by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC). Along with Senator Marco Rubio, the CECC Co-Chair, Smith issued a public letter to China’s President Xi Jinping, asking him to lift the ban and censorship of public discussion of the Tiananme... Read more

The Chinese government’s harsh oppression of its citizens’ basic human rights and its denial of the brutal repression of the Tiananmen Massacre 26 years ago this week was the focus of a hearing today held by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC). “The Tiananmen massacre had a profound and lasting effect on U.S.-China relations and public discussions of the event are still censored in China,” said Smith. “In addition, individuals who h... Read more

The decades-long rocky relationship between the United States and the repressive regime in Zimbabwe was the central focus of a congressional hearing Wednesday by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), chairman of the Africa and global human rights subcommittee. The U.S. State Department’s Africa Bureau and two human rights non-government organizations (NGOs) testified. “Zimbabwe is a country rich in both natural and human potential,” Smith said. “Once the resentments of the current old guard have passed... Read more

Two distinct initiatives that will assist patients and families suffering from Lyme disease have cleared major hurdles in the House of Representatives and are on a “glide path” to House passage, said Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), co-chairman of the Congressional Lyme Disease Caucus. “It is a new day on Capitol Hill for Lyme disease patients when two separate, comprehensive bills that have significant bipartisan support also include key provisions to advance Lyme research,” Smith said. “After years o... Read more

The wrongful detention of American prisoners in Iran was the topic of a House hearing held Tuesday by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), chairman of the committee’s global human rights subcommittee said he is concerned about fate of all the Americans imprisoned in Iran—including Pastor Saeed Abedini, Robert Levinson, Amir Hekmati, and Jason Rezian, whose family members testified on Capitol Hill today. “I continue to be concerned about the safety and health of the... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) today announced the awarding of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant for Lakewood Airport in Ocean County, N.J. The $405,000 grant will be used for the final phase of improvements to runway 6/24, funding the remaining construction of a taxiway serving the end of the runway. “This funding is slated to upgrade Lakewood Airport operations to new FAA standards, allowing planes to more safely use the facility,” Smith said. As a safety measure for pilots, the F... Read more

The decades-long rocky relationship between the United States and the repressive regime in Zimbabwe will be the central focus of a congressional hearing set for Wednesday, June 3 by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), chairman of the Africa and global human rights subcommittee. The U.S. State Department’s Africa Bureau and two human rights non-government organizations (NGOs) will testify. “The United States has experienced a troubled relationship with the southern African nation of Zimbabwe from its ... Read more