At a hearing held today on Capitol Hill, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House panel on Africa, and a distinguished group of experts on Africa policy shined a light on the withering democracy in Rwanda at the hands of President Paul Kagame. “In August 2017, Paul Kagame was elected with 99 percent of the vote,” said Smith who held his first hearing on Rwanda in 1996. “It is difficult to believe that even someone as widely admired as President Kagame has been could be that popular. Such s... Read more

In light of continued human rights abuses by the Azerbaijani regime, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) along with lead Democrat co-Sponsor Jim McGovern (D-MA), today introduced H. Res. 537, which promotes the rule of law and respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. “The Azerbaijani regime continues to use torture, politically-motivated criminal charges, harassment, international kidnapping and other forms of intimidation to silence human rights defenders, independent journalists and religious leaders,” sai... Read more

On Wednesday, September 27th, Chairman Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chair of the House panel on Africa, will be holding a hearing to investigate democracy and human rights in Rwanda. Testifying at the hearing will be a State Department official as well as notable experts on the African country. “Rwanda has been a valuable contributor to peacekeeping in Africa and is the sixth largest troop and police contributor to United Nations missions,” said Smith, who has held four hearings on Rwanda. “However, ques... Read more

Today, alongside local and international leaders in the arts, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) helped break ground on a $23 million expansion of the historic Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank. “Music and the arts not only entertain us and make us laugh and even cry, but inspire, uplift, challenge and touch us deep within our souls,” said Smith. “The arts help to define our culture and transform our lives, and artists make us a better society. The Basie is becoming the region’s top performing arts center, a... Read more

Today, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) welcomed the introduction of a Senate companion bill to his bipartisan “Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act of 2017” (H.R. 2405). The legislation will put houses of worship that have been shut out of receiving federal assistance after a disaster on an even playing field with other private non-profit organizations seeking disaster assistance. The Senate companion bill was introduced by Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO), John Cornyn (R-TX), Ted Cruz (R-TX) and... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) is leading the charge, for a second time, to reform two federal disaster relief and recovery programs, one that discriminates against faith-based organizations and another that forces individual victims to take on new debt while boxing them out of possible federal grants. These flaws surfaced during the Superstorm Sandy recovery effort and both fixes are now gaining support as Congress prepares a larger recovery package for victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. “Supersto... Read more

The departure from office of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, who has distinguished herself from many other African leaders by not pushing for an unconstitutional third term, was the focus of a congressional hearing held by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, who cautioned that all the possible directions the country may take once elections are held this October must be examined closely. Liberia, a country established in the 1800s by freed slaves from the United States, has a special place in U.S.... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ04) and other officials commemorated the terrorist attacks 16 years ago today against targets in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania that killed nearly 3,000 people including hundreds of New Jersey residents. In addition to Smith and other officials, also speaking at a Colts Neck, N.J. commemoration was Theresa Furmato Velardi, whose father, Paul James Furmato, was a sales trader and a Vice-President at Cantor Fitzgerald in the World Trade Center. She recounted that ... Read more

BY JERRY CARINO, APP STAFF WRITER - At various junctures, Brielle was diagnosed with autism and diabetes. Twice, Robyn Reznik said, her daughter was referred to a child psychologist. But moms have good instincts and Robyn, who is a psychotherapist, kept searching for answers until she found someone who connected the dots. It turns out Brielle has chronic Lyme disease, a condition that much of the medical establishment generally declines to acknowledge. Rep. Chris Smith on Lyme disease 'culture o... Read more

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the current President of Liberia, has taken small but important steps in the advancement of democracy and governance during her two terms leading the country, including separating herself from other African leaders by not pushing for an unconstitutional third term. This hearing will analyze the possible directions the country may take once her replacement is sworn into office. “Liberia, a country established in the 1800s by freed slaves from the United States, has a specia... Read more