– Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), founder of the bipartisan Congressional Autism Caucus and prime author of five major autism laws and provisions since 2000, including the recently enacted Autism CARES Act of 2024, today responded to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showing that autism rates in the U.S. have climbed to an all-time high of 1 in 31 children.

Smith welcomed the Trump Administration’s enhanced efforts to address autism in the United States.

“The CDC’s latest data shows an alarming surge in autism prevalence—1 in 31 children in the United States, including 1 in every 20 boys, are now diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD),” said Rep. Smith. “In my home state of New Jersey—one of the first states to monitor autism prevalence—the rate has increased by more than 300 percent over the last two decades. These are not just numbers—they represent real children and families who urgently need our help.”

At a powerful press conference today, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said it is time to “move away” from the thought that the increase in autism prevalence is solely the result of better surveillance.  The Secretary said there are too many people in “epidemic” denial.  He called the increase in autism prevalence an “epidemic” and “public health crisis” and promised more aggressive efforts to get “some answers by September.”

Smith applauded the Secretary’s commitment and obvious determination to find out why autism, as the Secretary said, “is so pervasive.”

“We have worked hard and successfully to improve surveillance, early intervention treatments and supports for families facing autism,” Smith said, “I am eager to join Secretary Kennedy as he elevates the efforts to “get to the root” of the epidemic.

Since 2000, Smith authored five major laws or federal titles to bolster federal support for people living with autism, most notably the landmark 2000 Autism Statistics, Surveillance, Research and Epidemiology (ASSURE)  Act (Title I of the Children’s Health Act, PL 106-310), followed by the 2011 Combating Autism Reauthorization Act, (Public Law 112-32), the 2014 Autism CARES Act (PL 113-157), the 2019 Autism CARES Act (Public Law 116-177) and the new Autism CARES Act of 2024. His most recent Autism CARES law directed nearly $2 billion in federal funding to expand autism research, improve early diagnosis and intervention, and increase services across the lifespan through NIH, CDC, and HRSA.

In the wake of the study, Secretary Kennedy said, “The autism epidemic is running rampant. One in 31 American children born in 2014 are disabled by autism. That’s up significantly from two years earlier and nearly five times higher than when the CDC first started running autism surveys in children born in 1992. Prevalence for boys is an astounding 1 in 20 and in California it’s 1 in 12.5.” The Secretary held a press conference about the study on Wednesday at DHHS headquarters. His remarks can be viewed here.

The CDC report also highlighted rising autism rates across all racial and ethnic groups and noted that boys continue to be diagnosed at significantly higher rates—almost four times more than girls.

“We must close the gaps in access to services—especially for underserved communities—and ensure that every child receives timely diagnosis, evidence-based care, and lifelong support,” Smith said.

“This is not a partisan issue—it’s a human one. Together, we must act decisively to meet the needs of the autism community—including the families who are often their caregivers—and provide every child with the opportunity to thrive,” he said.

History of Smith’s extensive involvement with autism—Smith first began working with autism issues in September 1997, when Brick, N.J. parents Bobbie and Billy Gallagher came to his office to seek assistance for their two children, Austin and Alanna, and everyone else with autism. He invited the CDC to Brick only to realize that federal autism programs were not only woefully inadequate, but essentially nonexistent. The federal government spent only a meager $287,000 per year on autism.  Smith quickly launched the Congressional Autism Caucus and authored the ASSURE Act in 1998. Two years later, after hard work to win widespread support in Congress, the ASSURE Act was eventually incorporated in large part as Title I of the Children’s Health Act of 2000. The subsequent investigation, one of the first federal studies on autism, not only showed higher rates of autism in Brick but also led to exposing autism as a nationwide phenomenon. 

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