Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to clarify that pregnancy centers can receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant funding from states. “The House passage of HR 6945—the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act—reaffirms the necessity of the critical, life-saving and life-enhancing services that pregnancy centers provide, and protects the rights of states to support and fund them,” said Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), an original co-spo... Read more

By Mallory Wilson Published Wednesday, January 21, 2026 Ahead of the annual March for Life this week, House Republicans passed legislation that would ensure federal funding continues for pregnancy resource centers serving low-income women. Just one Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, joined Republicans to pass the bill in a 215-209 vote. The legislation, the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act, would codify states’ ability to use Temporary Assistance for Needy Families fu... Read more

By Kate Scanlon Published January 21, 2026 at 1:54 PM WASHINGTON (OSV News) — The co-chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus said he has continued to call on the Trump administration to promptly conduct a pledged safety review of mifepristone, a pill commonly, but not exclusively, used for early abortion. Asked in a Jan. 15 interview with OSV News if he was confident that a safety review was underway, Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., a longtime Catholic lawmaker, said, “I don’t know for sure, but I have ask... Read more

On Thursday, January 22nd, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, will chair his fourteenth congressional hearing focused exclusively on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, including the political unrest and human rights violations occurring in the region. In wake of President Trump’s historic peace deal between Rwanda and the DRC on December 4th, 2025, this hearing will examine the United States’ role in overseeing the peace proce... Read more

By Sean Salai Published January 19, 2026 The number of abortions reported nationwide has grown steadily since the Supreme Court returned jurisdiction of the procedure to the states, driven by a surge in mail-order pills. The pro-choice Society of Family Planning estimates that the U.S. averaged nearly 99,000 abortions per month during the first half of 2025, up roughly 4% from 2024. The society found that 73% occurred at clinics, compared with 27% through telehealth prescriptions. That’s up from... Read more

By Laura Echevarria Published January 19, 2026 at 4:26 PM Congress took a key step to protect pregnancy help organizations from ideological attacks, advancing legislation that affirms states’ authority to support pregnancy centers that provide critical assistance to women and families. The legislation was introduced on January 6, 2026, by Michelle Fischbach (R-MN), with Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Claudia Tenney (R-NY). “We applaud and thank Representatives Michelle Fischbach, Chris Smith, and Claudi... Read more

By Micah McCartney Published January 16, 2026 at 3:09 PM EST The United States has clinched a sweeping agreement with Taiwan that would reduce tariffs on the "Silicon Island" in exchange for up to a quarter‑trillion dollars in investments, a move that carries significant security implications for Taipei amid mounting pressure from China. The deal follows similar arrangements Washington struck last year with Japan, European countries and China that brought down trade duties Trump had ratcheted up... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), issued the below statement following the U.S. Department of Commerce’s announcement that the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) have signed a historic trade deal that will enhance Taiwanese investment in U.S. domestic semiconductor supply chains, combating global reliance on Chinese technology: “Today’s momentous trade agr... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, and Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, today introduced legislation to impose targeted sanctions against the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship and hold it accountable for its crimes against the Catholic Church, the clergy, and the people of Nicaragua. “Our bill outlines serious economic penalties that can be leveraged to hold the corrupt Nicaraguan government to... Read more

At today’s House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, “Winning the AI Arms Race Against the Chinese Communist Party,” senior member Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) raised serious concerns about the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s weaponization of AI technology to violate international human rights standards and spread disinformation about historical events, such as Tiananmen Square. Watch his exchange with witness Matt Pottinger, former Deputy U.S. National Security Advisor, by clicking here. ### Read more