Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) today released the following statement on the sudden passing of Congresswoman Jackie Walorski and her two staff members, Emma Thomson and Zachery Potts: “We mourn the loss of our good friend, Congresswoman Jackie Walorski, who was indefatigable in standing up for the most vulnerable among us. The passion, courage, and love she brought to her work on behalf of unborn babies and their mothers set an example that will not be forgotten. We are also deeply saddened by the pas... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Ranking Member of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, recently joined Mark Levin on his radio show to expose how the Chinese Communist Party’s quest for cobalt for batteries and lithium for solar panels to power the so-called Green Economy drives extreme human rights abuses, as tens of thousands of children in Africa toil in mines under hazardous, life-threatening conditions. The topic was the focus of the hearing Smith chaired last month. Smith and Levin a... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, today issued the following statement on the recent report released by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on the state of religious persecution in North Korea: “North Korea's human rights abuses are almost without parallel—with horrific reports of up to 70,000 North Koreans currently in prison for their religious beliefs. “The new USCIRF report—based on painstaking interviews with survivors, wit... Read more

By Jonathan D. Salant | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Legislation sponsored by a New Jersey lawmaker to renew programs to combat human trafficking overwhelmingly passed the House Tuesday. The Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022 would earmark more than $1.1 billion to provide shelters, mental health care, education, life skills and job training for victims of trafficking. It would spend $35 million for housing to help women escaping their cap... Read more

The so-called CHIPS Act championed by President Biden and passed by the House of Representatives this week blatantly ignores grave threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), said Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), who voted against the legislative package in part for its failure to protect America’s manufacturing industry from the growing threat of China’s ambitions. “As China works to expand its power and steals American intellectual property, the United States must take bolder—not weaker—actio... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) is pushing new legislation (HR 8382) to restore the Trump Administration’s effective Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP)—widely known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy—to combat the worst border crisis in U.S. history. Under HR 8382, migrants apprehended at the border would be required to stay in Mexico as they await their application review by U.S. immigration officials. “President Biden’s disastrous border policies—including and especially his reversal of the Trump Admin... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) today met with Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt—the top U.S. official tasked with combating antisemitism—together with members of the Congressional Task Force for Combating Antisemitism to discuss bolstering the United States’ efforts to tackle the alarming rise in attacks against Jews throughout the country and across the world. “Tragically, antisemitism won’t disappear by ignoring it or wishing it away—it must be defeated,” said Rep. Smith, who authored the law that created... Read more

Ahead of this Saturday’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, the House of Representatives today overwhelmingly passed critical anti-trafficking legislation—the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022—authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) together with Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) in a strong bipartisan vote of 401-20. “Human traffickers never take a holiday, nor can we,” said Smith, who has chaired more than 35 hearings and written five anti-tr... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, today issued the following statement on recent confirmed reports of the slaughter of over 400 ethnic Amhara by the Oromo People’s Liberation Army last month in the Oromia region of Ethiopia: “Ethnic-based violence in Ethiopia must stop. We cannot scapegoat one group as each group has both victims and victimizers. The bloodshed must end—and those who... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) released the following statement on the death of longtime New Jersey State Assemblyman Ronald Dancer: “Ron Dancer was a tireless public servant who served his country in the Army before becoming a highly respected and enormously popular mayor of Plumsted and assemblyman for the 12th Legislative District. A great friend to many and true civic leader, Ron was as gracious and considerate as he was hard working and effective. I cannot think of anyone who loved Plumsted and pe... Read more