Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House panel on global human rights, today praised Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for highlighting the ongoing genocide of Christians, Yezidis and minority Muslims at the hands of ISIS in the “International Religious Freedom Report.” In the preface of the report, released this morning, Tillerson says, “ISIS is clearly responsible for genocide against Yezidis, Christians and Shia Muslims in areas it controlled.” “I want to commend Secretary Tillerson for ... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), received the prestigious Wei Jingsheng Foundation’s Human Rights and Freedom Defender award for, “his decades-long devotion and effort to improve human rights and freedom all over the world, especially in China.” In presenting the award, Wei, who spent 18 years in Chinese prisons for advancing democracy and human rights, described Smith as a, “very tough, very honest and very passionate politician.” “We’ve talked openly and honestly and I am very sure he is a person who ... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), author of the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act (P.L 113-150), introduced an innovative new bill that will automatically remove tariff benefits for countries that are found to be out of compliance in returning children home—the “Bindu Philips and Devon Davenport International Child Abduction Return Act of 2017.” “Bindu Philips fought valiantly in India for over eight years for the return of her abducted twin sons, only to be g... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) released the following statement concerning Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s July 28th comments on genocide: “Thank you to Secretary Tillerson for designating the atrocities committed by ISIS against Christians, Yazidis and other minorities genocide. He looked at the facts on the ground and had the intellectual honesty and compassion to tell it like it is.” Tillerson's comments were first reported in the Washington Free Beacon. ### Read more

Today, the full House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to advance a resolution, authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), highlighting the human rights violations of the Ethiopian government, and offering a blueprint to create a government better designed to serve the interests of the Ethiopian people. The resolution, which passed without objection, also calls on the U.S. government to implement Magnitsky Act sanctions, targeting the individuals within the Ethiopian government who are the cause of the... Read more

A necessary delay for easing of Sudan sanctions Obama-era benchmarks for human rights progress are still missing By Chris Smith - - Monday, July 24, 2017 ANALYSIS/OPINION: The announcement last week by the Trump administration that it is delaying the Obama administration’s order to ease sanctions on Sudan was a welcome decision. The three-month delay is not long enough to give the Sudanese the impression that we are not serious about this matter, but will be long enough to complete the needed a... Read more

Today, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chair of the House panel on global health, applauded the passage of legislation he co-sponsored, the “Medicare Part B Improvement Act” (H.R. 3178). The legislation, authored by Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), will now move to the Senate for further action. “Last Congress we passed the 21st Century Cures Act, which expanded Medicare coverage to include home infusion therapy,” said Smith, who has supported expanded coverage of home infusion therapy in numerous congressiona... Read more

Today, with the support of U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), the U.S. House of Representatives passed a broad bill designed to sanction three key bad actors on the world stage. The legislation, entitled, “Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act” (H.R. 3364), is an enhanced version of legislation that passed the Senate 98-2 last month, and gives the U.S. Congress more diplomatic tools to use against Iran, Russia and North Korea. “When foreign nations are supplying arms to our enemies, ... Read more

This bill brings together a critical arsenal of stiff and timely sanctions trained at some of the gravest national security threats our country faces today. The Trump Administration was absolutely right in early February to put Iran ‘‘on notice’’ regarding its continued testing of ballistic missiles. This bill underscores that warning by imposing expanded sanctions against Iran’s missile program—demonstrating that the United States will not sit idly by as Iran augments its ability to blackmail I... Read more

By Jay Cook - Go ahead and enjoy that sigh of relief, New Jersey fishermen. After months of back and forth over what regulations would be placed on New Jersey summer flounder fishing, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross approved New Jersey’s self-designed regulations. That means the summer flounder season will stay open after fears arose last month of a federal shutdown. “We are very pleased that NOAA worked with us to understand our p... Read more