Human rights violations in China, including political, religious, free press and labor rights abuses are documented in a new comprehensive report released this week by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. At a press conference held at the House Press Gallery, Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on the People’s Republic of China, and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), a commissioner, discussed the abuses contained in the new report. “China has... Read more

In response to reports that the British government has reneged on its commitment to hold an inquiry into the murder of human rights attorney Patrick Finucane, the statement below is issued by co-chairs of the Ad Hoc Committee on Irish Affairs, Rep. Christopher H. Smith, Rep. Eliot Engel and Rep. Joseph Crowley, as well as Rep. Richard Neal, senior Democrat on the Friends of Ireland Caucus. “We cannot but feel a deep sense of outrage over the decision of the British government not to launch a ful... Read more

Over thirty years ago, a young Chris Smith could never have fathomed the long journey down the road that would lead to the House of Representative in Congress. As a boy growing up in New Jersey, he had an affinity for boats and his greatest aspirations were to be a Navy man or work for the Coast Guard. Yet fate had visions unimaginable to the Jersey youngster. Today, Congressman Smith reflects on his early days as a tenacious young man determined to make his way through the swift waters of polit... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), chairman of the House panel on international human rights and chairman of the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission), today called for the British government to honor its commitment to a lasting and just peace in Northern Ireland and launch a full, independent, public judicial inquiry into the 1989 murder of human rights lawyer Patrick Finucane. Reports indicate British Prime Minister David Cameron and Secretary of State for N... Read more

The following op-ed was written by Cong. Chris Smith for Fox News.com: A silent plague is afflicting our country. As if out of a horror movie, our children are disappearing one by one from our communities, families, and homes—1,492 disappeared in 2010 alone. More than 2,200 are missing today, right now, perhaps from your city, certainly from your state. Like a casualty by friendly fire, the fact that the kidnappers are family members and former spouses only compounds the harm. International chi... Read more

When Rep. Chris Smith takes on an issue on behalf of his constituents, he is tenacious. And he gets things done. The latest example was seen last week with the passage of the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act, a bill that authorizes $693 million in spending on autism research over the next three years. It is a big sum, and badly needed. Autism has become an epidemic in this country, and New Jersey is particularly vulnerable. About 1 in 110 children nationally and 1 in 94 in New Jersey have an... Read more

A bill to step up the fight against a scourge that brings unfathomable misery and suffering to millions of innocent victims around the world—especially young women, children and exploited workers—was approved by a House Committee today. H.R. 2830, The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2011, is authored by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04). The legislation, which combats sex trafficking and labor trafficking, accurately referred to as modern day slavery whose victims are often c... Read more

A key committee in the House of Representatives today approved H.R. 2059, which would prohibit U.S. taxpayer dollars funding the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which supports China's controversial one child policy. “I strongly support H.R. 2059 sponsored by Renee Ellmers and thank her for standing up for the women and children in China,” said Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), a cosponsor of the bill and co-chairman of the Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus. “China’s one child policy is s... Read more

U.S. policy dealing with the violence, new humanitarian crises and ongoing slavery in Sudan were the focus of a congressional hearing Tuesday held by Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees international human rights and African issues. Smith’s Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights heard testimony from the top official on U.S. government Sudan policy, Sudan experts and an emancipated slave. The hearing, entitled “A Comprehensive Assessm... Read more

A little more than 14 years ago (on September 13, 1997), Bobbie and Billy Gallagher, of Brick, N.J., residents with two small children with autism, walked into their Congressman’s office looking for help. That is when the sustained federal effort to combat autism commenced. “Today when people are losing faith with government, just fed up with bureaucracy – this is a success story,” Billy Gallagher said Thursday, September 29, 2011, as he stood with his Congressman, Chris Smith, at Smith’s Ocean ... Read more