The need for a more broad, unified and proactive U.S. government policy that can advance the challenges of the long-term goals of peace and sovereignty that the peoples of Sudan and South Sudan are facing will be the topic of a hearing to be held Wednesday by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees U.S. policy in Africa. “While the U.S. government has been very involved in setting and carrying out policy toward Sudan and South Sudan for the past ... Read more

Responding to reports of an agreement between Ukrainian President Yanukovych and opposition leaders, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House panel that legislates on international human rights, released the following statement: “The agreement deserves our full support. Its main elements – return to the 2004 constitution, national unity government, and early presidential elections – are all just. They provide a framework in which the deep conflicts in Ukrainian government and society... Read more

Howell Township has been awarded over $2.7 million in grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help pay for clean-up costs from Superstorm Sandy. “While not directly on the shoreline, Howell Township is a large, heavily wooded town in the heart of my district. I saw firsthand how Superstorm Sandy tore through wooded areas and knocked down countless massive trees that paralyzed Howell transportation,” U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) said. “The first order of business was to cle... Read more

Ocean Township in Monmouth County has been awarded a $1.59 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help pay for clean-up costs from Superstorm Sandy. “I was in Ocean Township after the storm and saw massive downed trees, impassable roads and countless damaged homes and buildings similar to the devastation I saw across Ocean and Monmouth counties,” Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) said. “This funding is so important. No town like Ocean can absorb these costs in its municipal ... Read more

A Congressional hearing on the persecution of Christians exposes the horrors many people are facing worldwide for their religious beliefs. According to a new Pew Research study, hostility against religious groups has reached a high in recent years. The study cites violence across the world, including attacks on Christian-owned businesses, homes and churches. Republican Congressman Chris Smith (NJ) said during today’s hearing that he has seen the problem firsthand. Watch the latest video at video... Read more

The largely underreported assaults on the religious freedoms of Christians around the globe were the topic of a congressional hearing Tuesday chaired by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees global human rights issues. “This subcommittee has and will continue to highlight the suffering of religious minorities around the globe, be they Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan, Ba’hai in Iran, Buddhists in occupied Tibet, Yazidis in Iraq or the Muslim Royhinga pe... Read more

The global persecution of Christians has gone from bad to worse, said U.S. Rep. Chris Smith at a congressional hearing on Capitol Hill Tuesday (Feb. 11). Smith, a New Jersey Republican, along with other U.S. House subcommittee members and various speakers gave testimony about religious hostilities against Christians worldwide. Speakers noted that religious persecution violates basic human rights. Smith likened the persecution of Christians in Iraq to genocide. “Christians remain the most persecu... Read more

Members of U.S. and New Jersey law enforcement agencies who took part in a Joint Super Bowl Operation deserve tremendous credit for rescuing 25 children ages 13-17 from lives of misery and sexual abuse, and for arresting 45 suspects who allegedly exploited the children for commercial sex, said Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees global human rights, and author of the landmark law, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-... Read more

By Melissa Attias (Roll Call Staff) - Advocates for the roughly 5 million Americans with Alzheimer’s and their families had something to cheer when the recent fiscal 2014 spending bill was signed into law. The measure included hard-fought funding to help address the disease at a level that the Alzheimer’s Association called unprecedented. In the grand scheme of things, however, advocates acknowledge that those funds are only a modest step toward their goal of finding a cure. The top barrier to d... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees global human rights, and author of the landmark law, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, appeared on the ABC daytime show Katie with host Katie Couric, and other media outlets such as CNN and BBC to discuss sex trafficking. Smith held a hearing this week entitled “Lessons Learned from Super Bowl Preparations: Preventing International Human Trafficking at Major Sporting Events,” featuring witnesses from t... Read more