Hillary Clinton Testifies Before House Foreign Affairs Committee

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee about the September 11th attack on Benghazi this afternoon.

Monmouth County Congressman Chris Smith is a member of the committee.

Watch the hearing here.

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House OK’s $60B Aid for Sandy Recovery

Aid Passes 241-180 Assists New Jersey residents from worst natural disaster in their history

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House of Representatives tonight approved the full disaster recovery funding that will help the victims of Superstorm Sandy rebuild their communities.

            “Sandy was the most destructive storm ever in our region and arguably the second or third most costly in America’s history,” said Congressman Chris Smith, R- Robbinsville, N.J., who represents the Fourth Congressional District—the hard-hit area of northern Ocean County & southern Monmouth County where Sandy made landfill. “We are not crying wolf here, I say to my colleagues. There are huge gaps—people who have filed for insurance claims—and find insurance covered only this much. How do they ever recover?”  Smith, who took the House floor no less than three  times today to speak in favor of passage, pointed out that the Governor’s office estimated the damage in New Jersey alone to be $36.9 billion. Click here to watch Cong. Smith’s appeal to his House colleagues to pass the Sandy aid.

             Two votes today providing $17 billion and $34 billion would supplement $9.7 billion already provided by both Houses of Congress Jan. 4, for a total of $60 billion emergency spending aid package.
             “There is an immediate need to rebuild and restore.  In particular, our residents and neighbors need assistance with temporary housing and permanent home restoration,” said Smith.  “The Jersey Shore needs to be open for business by or near Memorial Day, or else many will suffer economic hardships, including losing jobs or businesses.”

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Rep. Chris Smith Calls for House to Pass Sandy Relief

For the text of Smith’s remarks:

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Congressman Chris Smith’s Statement At Belmar Boardwalk Groundbreaking

Yesterday, in the State of the State address in Trenton, Governor Chris Christie eloquently spoke of the courage, tenacity and resolve of the people of New Jersey both during and after the worst storm in our history.

He introduced and told the stories of a few jersey heroes.  However, the statehouse could have been filled to overflowing with people who performed remarkable feats of selflessness and bravery.

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Smith Testifies before Senate Panel

Army Corps of Engineers Work Helped Reduce Damage; Planned Projects Should Advance

WASHINGTON, DC – Although Superstorm Sandy wreaked widespread havoc on the Jersey Shore, the victims and communities have pulled together in an effort to rebuild their lives, homes and towns, Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) told members of the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Environment and Public Works today. Smith also called attention to work the Army Corps of Engineers’ beach protection projects that held up well during the storm.

“The courage, tenacity and resiliency of the victims has been amazing,” said Smith, who represents large sections of Monmouth and Ocean Counties where the immense storm made landfall. “The stories of neighbors helping neighbors with breathtaking kindness by providing shelter, food and warm, dry clothing are almost without number. People are at once heartbroken, devastated and still appreciative of the help they are getting and what they have left.  A resident of Belmar told me the day after Sandy demolished his home: “I’ve lost everything, but I am alive.”

Smith said special note and appreciation need be given the Corps of Engineers which has spent years working on beach re-nourishment projects, some of which are bogged down due to lack of funding.

“We know that in most areas where the Army Corps of Engineers implemented beach re-nourishment projects, there was less damage than those where they did not,” Smith said. “Where the Corps built higher berms, they held back the water. Where there were low dunes, the water came flooding in.

“Preventing flooded homes and businesses is cheaper and more efficient than repairing them after a water breach,” Smith said. “As such, it is necessary, cost-effective and justified for the federal government to provide the Corps with emergency funding to finish beach replenishment and flood protection projects.”

The Corps is poised to finish a number of projects if it has the funding through an emergency supplemental request. Representatives from the Northeast have asked President Obama to direct his Office of Management and Budget to issue an emergency supplemental request. Smith said that funding to complete already-authorized projects should be included.

“The partnership between federal, state and local governments has served our community well in the aftermath of the storm and we must bolster these efforts moving forward—both to make New Jersey residents whole and to limit future damage. Fully funding the Corps’ projects is a priority of mine and will assist our state as we recover, repair and rebuild,” Smith said. “It’s a long road, but we are committed to bringing back—and with your help we will bring back—these communities.”

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Camp Evans Designated as National Historic Landmark

Smith assisted to get federal designation; Helped Save Camp in 2004

WALL TOWNSHIP, N.J. – Camp Evans, the former Army post in Wall Township, N.J. and site of top secret work that helped win World War II, has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Interior as one of only 26 new sites receiving national historic landmark designation, announced Congressman Chris Smith.

“Having been to Camp Evans numerous times and worked with the leadership of the non-profit organization InfoAge dedicated to the preservation of this site—I am aware that it may be the most significant historic location associated with the development of radar,” said Smith, who in April urged the National Park Service to approve this designation and to do so in a timely manner. “The top secret American research conducted right here in Monmouth County helped win battles on the warfront and save American lives. The new designation will forever secure Camp Evan’s much-deserved prominence in the history of our national defense and security, as well as honor the thousands of people from the New Jersey and New York areas who worked there practically anonymously to protect the nation and especially our troops. An added bonus is that the federal designation will open doors to grant funding and attract visitors who want to learn more about the fascinating history of Camp Evans.”

For more than a decade Smith helped prevent the closed site from being auctioned off to developers, and worked with the Army to clean up and preserve the site. InfoAge hosts many events at Camp Evans that are open to the public. Click here to see a list of events.

“This year marks the 70th anniversary of the naming ceremony of Camp Evans. 2012 also marks the 100th anniversary of the site serving as a Marconi Wireless Station. The designation of Camp Evans as a National Historic Landmark on these important anniversaries will have a strong symbolic impact for the individuals who have worked since the Army’s withdrawal to maintain the historic and cultural significance of the site,” Smith wrote. Click here to read Smith’s letter.

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Congressman Chris Smith Blasts China for Stealing U.S. Jobs, Putting U.S. Consumers at Risk

Speaks out against Chinese trade practices at Foreign Affairs Committee hearing

At a hearing on Capitol Hill last week, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) blasted the Chinese Government for stealing U.S. jobs through deceitful policies and trading practices. Fake products and components made in China and sold in the U.S. put American consumers at risk, he said.  Fake Chinese computer chips have even been found in U.S. defense systems.

    “All of us know that economic growth and vigorous exports are vital to American prosperity, and now in these difficult times—economic recovery,” said Smith at a full hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee entitled “Unfair Trading Practices against the U.S.: Intellectual Property Rights Infringement (IPR), Property Expropriation, and Other Barriers.”

    “American workers can out-compete anyone in the world, but theft of intellectual property – the patents, copyrights, trademarks, industrial designs, and trade secrets of American companies — robs them of a fair return on their innovation and their work,” Smith added.

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Three traits of a great chair: The Danskin Model

By Wayne Pomanowski

Monmouth County has had three chairmen in the past eight years. There is nothing better for the Republican Party than a steady sure strong but compassionate hand to guide this fine organization. My favorite chairman was of course Ben Danskin. This is not to demean from any of the other chairmen in our party but simply to highlight what made Ben such a solid leader. Ben had three strong traits.

1.  Ben could party build. Ben was out probably five nights a week. He attended local GOP meetings in every town. Ben was a smiling face who could pull you into the mix. For me he was someone who was a leader I could believe in. He was there when I needed a pat on the back and also there when I needed a kick in the pants.

2. Ben could raise money. Ben had his famous power hitter’s breakfast every year and was known to raise tens of thousands at those meetings. And you could always count on Ben to be at every county and local fundraiser.

3. Ben was a peacemaker. Maybe you didn’t make a piece until Ben had taken you to the woodshed, but after that discussion you knew you were welcome back into the fold. But Ben would never hold a grudge. He told you straight out how he felt and when the discussion was over he expected you back in line with the team.

As we here in Monmouth County go through the selection process so often county committee people are pulled into this race with suggestions and directions from party leaders as to who they should vote for. The only question is, from the criteria I have outlined from the above, which candidate will best provide you with the three criteria for a great chair. For those of us who have chosen the political life your decision on June 12 will be critical for the strength and growth of this fine party for the next two years.

Editors note:  Ben Danskin was the Monmouth County Republican Chairman from 1969 until 1982.   Congressman Chris Smith read a tribute/biography of Danskin into the Congressional Record on July, 14, 2005. 

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Autism Prevalence Worsens: 1-in-88 in U.S., 1-in-49 in NJ

WASHINGTON, DC – New alarming data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows 1 in every 88 American children and 1 in every 49 New Jersey children has a form of autism.

            “The national numbers, including and especially in my home state of New Jersey, are shocking,” said U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), author of Combating Autism Reauthorization Act, Public Law 112-32.  “Each one of these statistics represents real children and real families who struggle and need our help and assistance.”

            The study also found a continuing higher prevalence of ASDs in boys than girls (1-in-252 girls and 1-in-54 boys). However, in New Jersey, of the 1 in 49 children with a form of autism, Smith noted a staggering 1 in 29 boys with the disability.

“We as a nation must do much more, especially to determine causation and ensure early diagnosis, so interventional care can begin as early as possible. The stakes are so high: the quality of life of so many children is at risk. We need research, new treatments and a path to a cure.” said Smith, who also authored the provision in Title I of the Children’s Health Act (PL 106-310) which created the Centers of Excellence in Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disabilities Epidemiology that carried out this study.

“Prevention, treatment and ultimately a cure for this developmental disability must be our highest priority.  We need to bring a ‘Manhattan Project’ type focus to this essential life saving work.  Delay is not an option,” Smith said. 

Smith’s landmark legislation enacted in 2000—the Autism Statistics, Surveillance, Research and Epidemiology Act (Title I, P.L. 106-310) created the first comprehensive federal program to combat autism. In 2011, another piece of legislation he authored The Combating Autism Reauthorization Act(CARA)”— (now Public Law 112-32) was enacted and will provide $693 million over the next three years to continue the program.

            “The new CDC data shows a sharp increase from the appalling 2006 data that documented 1-in-110 children with an autism spectrum disorders (ASDs)—a 23 percent increase,” Smith said.

            This morning, Smith , the Co-Chairman of the Congressional Coalition on Autism Research and Education (C.A.R.E.), spoke to Dr. Thomas Frieden, Director of the CDC, about the new data. The information was set to be released at a CDC briefing for Congress Thursday afternoon.

The CDC study, entitled Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders – Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, provides autism prevalence estimates from 14 states, including New Jersey. It was published today in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Smith’s law, CARA, signed September 30, 2011 authorized for each of the next three fiscal years: $22 million for the Developmental Disabilities Surveillance and Research Program; $48 million for Autism Education, Early Detection, and Intervention, and; $161 million for hundreds of Research Grants at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and for the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee.

In May 2011, Smith chaired a hearing on U.S. and global autism. He also has written two other bills in the current 112th Congress: 1) H.R. 2006, “The National Autism Spectrum Disorders Initiative Act”; and (2) H.R. 2007, “The Autism Spectrum Disorders Services Act.”  Smith’s H.R. 2006 designates the Secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services Department to head the national autism effort, and authorizes the Secretary to approve a strategic plan developed by the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), in consultation with the National Institute for Health.  H.R. 2007 establishes a planning and demonstration grant program for services to children, transitioning youth, adults, and individuals of any age who may be at risk of injury, authorizes grants for protection and advocacy systems, and creates a national training initiative to better equip teachers and autism services providers. 

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Chris Smith’s “No Federal Funding For Abortion” Bill Passes The House

By Art Gallagher

H.R. 3, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, championed by Congressman Chris Smith, passed the House of Representatives this week, 251-175.  All Republicans in the House and 16 Democrats voted for the bill’s passage.

The bill would make permanent the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funding of abortion through Medicaid and other federal programs.  Additionally “indirect subsidies” like tax credits and deductions for abortions, insurance premiums on policies that cover abortion, and the use of tax-exempt savings plans to pay for abortion, are prohibited by the measure.

The bill has less of a chance to pass the Democratically controlled Senate than a African American or Hispanic fetus has of surviving its mother’s visit to a Planned Parenthood clinic.

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