A throng of firefighters gathered at the Hamilton Elks Lodge on Kuser Road today to fete U.S. Congressman Chris Smith (Robbinsville, N.J.) for his work to protect the jobs of Trenton firefighters over the past four years by helping to secure two key grants worth over $28 million and heading off massive layoffs. At the surprise event, Smith was presented with a white fire chief’s helmet with a broad badge that read “Congressman” and an engraved name placard below it that read “Chris Smith.” He al... Read more

By Cristina Rojas/The Times of Trenton -- Officials at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst broke ground last week on a new $42 million, 100,000-square-foot hangar that will replace a historic wooden structure they say is in such poor condition it could damage aircraft and equipment. Known as Hangar 5, the existing structure was built in 1943 for the Navy’s antisubmarine blimp fleet during World War II. Hangar 5 and its still-standing twin, Hangar 6, are the largest, single arch wooden structures ev... Read more

BY ASBURY PARK PRESS SENIOR REPORTER KIRK MOORE - Work is beginning on a new Army electronics research and aviation center at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst — a $42 million project that will keep one of the last vestiges in New Jersey of the once-massive Fort Monmouth research complex. Six years in the making, the new home of the Communications and Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center will allow the Army to move people and helicopters out of an aging wooden blimp hangar bui... Read more

The groundbreaking for a new project championed by Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) that will protect and enhance critical Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst missions took place today. Smith, worked for years to advance the project which was included in the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), was a guest speaker. The new Army aviation facility will house the Communications and Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) Flight Activity (CFA) on the former Lakehurst Naval ... Read more

BY KIRK MOORE, Asbury Park Press Staff -- Five Republican congressmen from New Jersey on Wednesday asked to meet with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan to discuss the long time lags in delivering post-superstorm Sandy rebuilding aid to homeowners — and rumors that a third round of funding could be cut. High on the list of concerns is the time it takes to complete “duplication of benefits analysis” — a lengthy accountability system that HUD requires to make ... Read more

A group of New Jersey members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to Secretary Shaun Donovan of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Acting Chair Michael Boots of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) requesting that they attend a N.J. congressional delegation meeting to hear out questions and concerns from the delegation and state lawmakers as to why the process for helping homeowners recovering from Superstorm Sandy is taking so long. The lawmakers... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), co-chair of the House Alzheimer's disease caucus, was asked by the Alzheimer’s Association to present its national “Outstanding Advocate Award” to Mary Gerard, of Ocean Township, N.J., last night. The Alzheimer’s Association is holding its annual Alzheimer’s Association National Dinner and conference this week in Washington. Gerard received the Alzheimer’s Association award, presented annually to an extraordinary Alzheimer’s advocate who has shown outstanding lea... Read more

The rate for childhood autism in the U.S. has risen to a stunning one in 68, according to statistics released last week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In New Jersey the rate is even higher —one in 45. And the rate is four times higher among boys than girls. What’s going on here? Why has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) become a worldwide pandemic? Why is the incidence growing? In 1980, only three out of 10,000 children were diagnosed with the condition. While heightened aw... Read more

(MY9NJ) - Yesterday was World Autism Day and in the spirit of driving awareness to this disease, there were many events taking place across the Garden State that aimed to get more support for treatment and stability options for those who suffer from this developmental issue. Congressman Chris Smith hosted an event in Ocean Township to promote awareness for this important cause. The event was held at the Search Day School, founded in 1971 as the first school in New Jersey that focused specificall... Read more

The pain and helplessness of those suffering from the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD)—a fatal, degenerative condition for which there is currently no cure nor any effective treatment— is the basis for a bipartisan bill unveiled in the House of Representatives today by U.S. Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Chaka Fattah (D-PA) The bill, HRes. 489, calls on the U.S. to both engage in and lead a coordinated, international effort to advance work for the treatment, prevention and perhaps even a cure f... Read more