Smith calls on NJ Leaders to combat human trafficking, return civility to politics, in keynote address

photo courtesy of NJ Chamber of Commerce via facebook

In his keynote address to leaders of New Jersey’s business community and government at the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce’s annual Congressional Diner in Washington, Congressman Chris Smith acknowledged his audience’s efforts in job creation and in combating the coronavirus outbreak before challenging the leaders to step up their efforts to combat human trafficking and to increase the civility of the political discourse in New Jersey and nationwide.

Smith’s remarks as prepared for delivery are below :

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Congressman Chris Smith Acknowledges Hotels That Fight Human Trafficking

Representatives of the Junior Leagues of NJ State Public Affairs Committee meet with Rep Chris Smith during the NJ Chamber’s Congressional Dinner. Click on photo for info on JL-NJSPAC’s anti-human trafficking efforts

During his remarks to the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce’s 82nd Walk to Washington Congressional Dinner, Congressman Chris Smith acknowledged five hotel chains for their leadership in fighting human trafficking; Hilton, Carlson, Radisson, Wyndham and Marriott.

Smith introduced legislation yesterday, H.R.1427, which will require that hotels that fight human trafficking be preferred vendors for federal government travel.

Smith remarks to the Chamber, as prepared for delivery, follow:

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Powerful, sobering remarks from Congressman Chris Smith

Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ-4), Dean of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation will address the NJ Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Walk to Washington Dinner this evening.  His remarks as prepared for delivery are as follows:

On a myriad of fronts, the number of seemingly insurmountable challenges facing America today demands sober, serious and sustained problem solving by Congress, the President and stakeholders of every stripe.

Thankfully we have highly motivated and informed experts from the private sector including and especially the Chamber of Commerce showing the way forward.

Like you, I’m a big fan of principled bipartisanship.  Working across the aisle for important causes and goals often yields positive results.

However, in both Washington and Trenton, healthy partisanship has a place as well.  A benign adversarial system—with an emphasis on benign—ought to produce well-vetted policies that serve the public.  At least that’s the theory.

But we live in an age of the perpetual political campaign where truth and the common interest often take a hit. Enabled in part by distortion, surface appeal argument,  the 24/7 cable news cycle  and an increase in negative political advertising, the public is increasingly ill served and tackling tough issues with good faith compromise has become more elusive than ever.

On the national debt, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) a few weeks ago cautioned with understated alarm that our massive current-day debt of $17.5 trillion will skyrocket to $27 trillion in just ten years.  The interest payment alone will be $876 billion in 2024—an amount greater than the combined budgets  this year for Homeland Security, HUD, Justice, Transportation, Agriculture,  all discretionary spending for HHS including the National Institutes of Health, Science agencies and the Department of Defense.

Ballooning annual interest payments as far as the eye can see are unconscionable.

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NJ Chamber’s Walk To Washington Postponed

The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce announced this morning that the 77th annual Walk To Washington and Congressional Dinner is being postponed due the forecast of a severe snowstorm in New Jersey and Washington, DC and on the recommendation of Amtrak.

The Walk will be rescheduled as soon as possible.

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A Gift To Those Attending the NJ Chamber of Commerce “Walk To Washington”

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