The Belmar Fire Department will receive a federal grant totaling $223,571.42 from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program to upgrade critical firefighter equipment that in some cases has become dangerously outdated, said Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) today. “The volunteer firefighters of the Belmar Fire Department put their lives on the line every day to protect people and property in the borough and in neighboring towns when fires and other emergencies arise,” said Rep. Smith, a member of ... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, today issued the following statement regarding the tragic American withdrawal from Afghanistan: “Today we mark one year since the Biden Administration’s disastrous and chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in which 13 American soldiers were killed and 9,000 Americans were abandoned in a treacherous, hostile condition. In the year's time, the Biden Administration ... Read more

By Olivia Liu Asbury Park Press Staff Writer - Every day and night Olga Kika of Neptune City calls her friends and family still living in Ukraine. “We can see the world is tired because of the war in Ukraine,” Kika said. “But Ukrainians have no choice.” In Memorial Park here, a crowd of about 100 people gathered for Ukraine’s Independence Day on Wednesday. That day also marks the sixth month since Russian invaded Ukraine in February. The event was hosted by the Ukrainian National Women’s League ... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today issued the following statement on the reported arrest of Catholic Bishop Rolando José Álvarez in Nicaragua: “The arrest of Bishop Rolando José Álvarez—the Catholic Bishop of Matagalpa who was taken from his residence in an early morning raid on August 19—is just one of the latest manifestations of the Nicaraguan government’s ongoing campaign of repression a... Read more

The following are excerpts of remarks by Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) on Ukrainian Independence Day at Memorial Park in Neptune City: Last August 24th—on the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence—Ukrainian air force jets led by “best pilot” Anton Lystopad (who was born in the year of Ukraine’s independence) flew over Kiev in celebration. One year later—and just a few days ago— President Zelensky honored him with the Order of Courage award for his “bravery and professionalism.” A few days... Read more

By Nicolas Fernandes | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com The Army Corps of Engineers will visit the Manasquan Inlet next week to survey a large sandbar that has formed in the waterway, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th Dist., said Wednesday. Sands at the inlet have shifted before, but the low-tide sandbar is larger than anything seen there before, the congressman said. “We are gravely concerned that it will pose a serious hazard to navigation,” Smith said. The Corps’ survey will determine any actions that ... Read more

Karen Wall, Patch Staff Posted Sat, Aug 20, 2022 — An emergency survey of shoaling and a sandbar on the Point Pleasant Beach side of the Manasquan Inlet shows the inlet channel is safe for boat traffic, officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Friday. Rep. Chris Smith, who represents New Jersey's 4th District, pressed the Army Corps to conduct the emergency survey after boat captains raised their concerns about the shoaling to Smith. The sonar survey was conducted Thursday afternoon,... Read more

In response to the recent dramatic build-up of sand in the Manasquan Inlet, Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) today met with top officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to review the results of its emergency survey conducted on Thursday at Smith’s request. “The Army Corps completed a sonar survey of the Inlet yesterday and reported that although there is some shoaling against the southern jetty, the channel is safe for boat traffic—including the larger commercial vessels,” said Rep. Smith... Read more

By NF Staff The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is making an emergency survey of the Manasquan Inlet next week to assess a large and potentially dangerous sandbar that has developed in the inlet, which is located at Mile Zero of the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway (NJICW), about six miles south of Shark River and 13 miles to the northeast of Toms River, N.J. The Corps visit is a result of Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) meeting with various leaders in the New Jersey fishing industry while surveying the in... Read more

By Dan Radel, APP Staff The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will return to Manasquan Inlet next week to do an emergency survey of the growing sandbar issue, said U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J. A sandbar, or shoal, has been forming in the inlet for most of the summer, which the Corps said is likely being caused by the strong southerly wave energy that the Jersey Shore has been experiencing this summer. The shoal has become a concern of fishing boat captains who navigate the inlet daily. Local officia... Read more