Chris Smith

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank our very distinguished chairman, Brett Guthrie, for his extraordinary leadership on this and other issues related to health especially. He is a champion, and he is doing a tremendous job for the entire country. I thank Brett for what he is doing. I thank his staff and my friends on the other side of the aisle for their work on this bill. This has been a bipartisan effort. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass S. 2398, a 5-year reauthorization of the Kay Hagan Tick Act, a law that expires on September 30. It was sponsored by Senator Collins of Maine. My colleagues will recall that our distinguished colleague from North Carolina, Senator Kay Hagan, suffered a tick bite and died in 2019 from encephalitis caused by the Powassan virus. The current law and reauthorization are named in her honor. I point out to my colleagues that, in 2019, the Kay Hagan Tick Act was passed as part of the 2020 Consolidated Appropriations Act. The act created, among other things, a whole-of-government national strategy to combat Lyme and other tick-borne diseases with a special focus on surveillance, diagnosis, treatment, education, and prevention. The national strategy, which was later released in 2024, has identified key public health goals to contain, reduce, and eventually eliminate Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses. It is a strategy that I am heartened to say that Secretary Kennedy has not only adopted, but he has used it as a floor. He has done so much above and beyond the strategy to try to end this terrible, terrible scourge of tick-borne diseases. The bill before us tonight, like the original law, authorizes $50 million over 5 years for the regional centers of excellence, which coordinate with academia and local public health agencies to conduct research on Lyme in their areas and train public health officials to properly identify and treat Lyme. Continuing funding will ensure that these centers can continue to conduct groundbreaking research and ultimately generate new prevention strategies and insights on tick-borne diseases. The legislation also provides $100 million over 5 years to tangibly assist State public health departments and other local entities to support the development and implementation of evidence-based research, interventions, and treatment. Mr. Speaker, HHS Secretary Kennedy has been an amazing champion in combating Lyme disease, and he recently announced a whole new series of initiatives. I will point out one very briefly. It is called the Lyme Clinician Locator, made possible through their partnership with the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, or ILADS, enabling patients to easily find a Lyme-literate clinician in their area. Users put in a ZIP Code and get a whole list of people who know what Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases are all about, hopefully leading to an effective treatment. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and colleague for yielding.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, last week, a mournful Nation marked the 25th Anniversary of September 11th. I include in the Record my remarks offered at the Monmouth County 9/11 Memorial Ceremony in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. Thank you, Commissioner Director Arnone, for your very eloquent remarks. Commissioner Ross Licitra, our emcee, thank you. Amy Harigel--that rendition of the national anthem on this very, very somber day just lifts all of our spirits. That was very beautifully done. Thanks to Rev. Sparks for his moving invocation, and Jessica Cappadona, thank you--that was a really powerful witness of why we must educate the next generation about 9/11. You know, 25 years later, all of us solemnly remember those who lost their lives and the pain suffered by nearly 3,000 individuals--including 147 people from Monmouth County--who were murdered by radical jihadists and the anguish endured by their families and their friends both then and now. We remember and honor the courageous first responders running up the stairs of burning buildings with total disregard for their own safety, attempting to save others at the expense of their own lives. We honor the first responders who have suffered and died from illnesses related to the rescue and recovery efforts in the aftermath of 9/11. According to the World Trade Center Health Program, an estimated 400,000 people were exposed to toxic contaminants in New York. 96,000 people have been diagnosed with physical and mental health conditions as a result of the exposure to the dust, the smoke, the debris, and the traumatic events of 9/11. Over 9,000 people have died after 9/11 itself with illnesses directly linked to the attack. You know, it's widely believed that Flight 93 was headed to Washington. A mention was made earlier about how it was brought down by the courageous men on that flight, especially Todd Beamer from Cranbury who said ``Let's roll!'' And they brought down that plane and they stopped what would have been another horrific attack . . . we thought it was going for the Capitol. You know, a member of my staff, Kathy Wisniewski, who was then a Howell resident, lost her husband Alan on 9/11. Alan was an associate director for Sandler O'Neill Investment, and his office was on the 104th floor of the South Tower. His last phone call before the plane hit was to say, ``Hey, honey, I'm okay.'' And then he died. Through Kathy and their children, as well as from many of the survivors who are here, including the Jersey Girls who helped get the 9/11 Commission--it was going nowhere until they said, ``We have to know the who, what, when, where, why, of all of this, so it never happens again.'' And of course, that 9/11 Commission was headed so ably and so effectively by Tom Kean, our former governor. And that was the blueprint for what we do in follow-up. What happened, what led up to it, and what do we need to do to mitigate the possibility of this ever happening again? As we remember the victims, every one of us need to seriously recommit ourselves to persevering prayer; a sense of reconciliation, yes; but also support for effective intelligence gathering and law enforcement to better interdict violence in all of its ugly manifestations. Mention has been made a couple times--and Jessica, thank you for doing this again--about the young people--and Tom, you said it as well: the 9/11 Memorial and Museum reminds us that 100 million Americans were too young to remember that day that, as they put it, changed our city and nation forever. It is our shared promise made 25 years ago never forget, those who were born after 9/11, to learn the significance and the enduring legacy. As we commemorate this anniversary, a new generation will learn about the unimaginable loss that was experienced by so many and the inspiring stories of bravery, compassion, unity, and service that we witnessed that will ripple through the decades. Thank you to the Monmouth County Commissioners for so effectively bringing us together to remember, and to pray that it never happens again, and do everything we can to help those who have suffered so much. Thank you.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Chair, my amendment addresses a stark and increasing threat to our Nation's critical infrastructure, the malicious use of drones, especially their use around critical military installations and law enforcement vessels. Amendment No. 283 requires the Inspector General of the Department of War to produce a report to Congress regarding Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) activity around military installations in the United States and abroad, sensitive national security sites, military and law enforcement vessels, and the capabilities possessed by installations to counter this activity, protocols in place to coordinate with state and local law enforcement, and the sufficiency of legal authorities provided to installation commanders to address threats both inside and outside the wire. Over the last several years, there has been persistent unauthorized drone activity around military installations. In 2024, for 17 days a fleet of unidentified drones penetrated the airspace over Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, home to advance jet fighters including F-22s, continuing on to the airspace over Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek and Naval Station Norfolk. Also in 2024, the Department of War confirmed a number of drone sightings over multiple installations in my state of New Jersey, including Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle in my district. Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, also in my district, has seen significant unauthorized drone activity including attempts to smuggle contraband in FCI Dix and other drones whose intent was not clear. Additionally, a Coast Guard Commanding Officer told me more than a dozen drones, in formation, followed a 47-foot rescue boat a mere 100 feet off the stern, as it made maneuvers in the ocean off Ocean County. Earlier this year, Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana--home to B- 52 bombers who play a critical role in America's nuclear triad--was forced to issue a shelter in place order due to reports of unauthorized drone activity. And just months ago, here in Washington D.C., Fort McNair saw unauthorized drone overflights. In testimony last year before the Senate Armed Services Committee, NORTHCOM Commander General Gregory M. Guillot expressed concern over what he called the ``rapidly evolving strategic environment'' and ``the emergence of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) as a threat to infrastructure and personnel in the homeland.'' He went on to describe the threat as ``widespread'' as ``there were 350 detections reported'' on military installations in 2024. At the same time, we have seen adversaries--notably Russia and Iran-- make significant investments in drone technology and seen its impact on the battlefield, both in Ukraine and in the Middle East. Communist China is a global leader in drone technology and continues to integrate these capabilities into its military doctrine and exercises. It is vital we gain a thorough understanding of adversary capabilities, and their will deploy these technologies to threaten American interests. Congress has taken steps to address these threats, both the Armed Services Committee and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee have methodically strengthened military and law enforcements authority and ability to deploy counter-drone technology in recent reauthorization bills to, yet a further accounting of how widespread this threat is and what, if any shortfalls remain is needed. Make no mistake, it is imperative Congress ensure that those on the ground and charged with the safety of military installations and the lives of servicemembers and the community at large have the authority and technology necessary to effectively mitigate and overcome these threats to protect the homeland. I thank the Committee on Rules for finding this amendment in order, and I urge my colleagues to support this amendment with a yes vote.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, each year over 3.6 million babies are born in the United States. In the past, virtually every placenta and umbilical cord was tossed as medical waste. Today, doctors have turned this medical waste into medical miracles. Not only has God, in his infinite wisdom and goodness, created a placenta and an umbilical cord to nurture and protect the precious life of an unborn child, but now we know another gift awaits immediately after birth. Something very special is left behind: umbilical cord blood that is teeming with life-saving stem cells. Mr. Speaker, today the House will vote to reauthorize the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005, a law that I authored 21 years ago. That law created a new nationwide umbilical cord blood stem cell program designed to collect, type, and cryogenically freeze cord blood units for transplantation into patients to mitigate and cure serious disease. The law also provided that cord blood stem cells be used for research. The new cord blood program was combined with an expanded bone marrow initiative, crafted over several years by our distinguished former colleague, Congressman Bill Young. Mr. Speaker, umbilical cord blood stem cells obtained after the birth of a child have proven to be highly efficacious in treating over 75 diseases, including lymphoma, leukemia, sickle cell disease, and other metabolic and immune deficiencies. I thank Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg of Duke University, an internationally renowned expert in pediatric hematology, oncology, and umbilical cord blood banking and transplantation. Dr. Kurtzberg helped draft our original law 26 years ago. It took 5 long years to enact it into law. It was blocked at many turns, but she was right there from the beginning and continues to be an extraordinary pioneer in the field. Earlier today, I called Dr. Kurtzberg--we do talk a lot--and she said cord blood has been used as a donor for transplant, enabling over 50,000 patients with cancer, blood disease, and other genetic conditions to have a life-saving treatment. Cord blood is also used as starting material for manufacturing immune effector cells, like CAR T cells, and others to treat patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases. She said there is exciting research now using cord blood to treat children with cerebral palsy, birth asphyxia, and autism. Mr. Speaker, the National Cord Blood Inventory--created by the original law and continued in this reauthorization--provides funding to public cord blood banks participating in the program to allow them to expand the national inventory of cord blood units that are available for transplant. These units are then listed on the registry by the National Marrow Donor Program. The funds appropriated thus far have led to an important increase in the use of these units. The registry now has approximately 121,000 available units. The program registry allows patients and physicians to locate matching cord blood units, as well as adult donors, for both marrow and peripheral blood stem cell transplants. Mr. Speaker, the program registry allows patients and physicians to locate matching cord blood units, as well as adult a donors, for marrow and peripheral blood stem cells. The program is the world's largest, most diverse donor registry, with more than 43 million potential marrow donors around the world. To date, NMDP, through its operation of the program, has facilitated over 150,000 transplants. The bill before us today, Mr. Speaker, authorizes $280 million for these programs over 5 years--$115 million for cord blood, $165 million for bone marrow programs--to ensure that thousands of present and future patients benefit from this extraordinary field of regenerative medicine. Mr. Speaker, I am deeply grateful to Chairman Guthrie for his amazing support and leadership in advancing the bill. I want to thank others, including my friend Frank Pallone; Doris Matsui, who is the prime Democrat cosponsor; Mr. Bilirakis, one of the originals and a great supporter; Ms. Pingree; Ms. Tenney; Mr. Mfume; and others. We have others, but they were the originals. I also want to thank some of my staff, including Rebecca West, Evan Heitman, John McDonough, who worked overtime--as you know, so many details to be attended to--and, of course, the Staff Director Megan Jackson; Emma Schultheis; and Jackie Weinrich, who worked on the Democrat side in helping to get this to the floor. I thank them all so much. Mr. Speaker, this will save lives, and I urge support for it.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Guthrie for his personal and extraordinarily strong support of H.R. 4348, and his staff, director Megan Jackson, Health Subcommittee staff Jay Gulshen and Emma Schultheis. I also thank my good friend, Frank Pallone, our Health Subcommittee Chair Morgan Griffith, Ranking Member Diana DeGette, as well as the original sponsors, Lloyd Doggett, Paul Tonko, and Tom Kean. Mr. Speaker, at a May 29th press conference in New Hampshire, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who has been a tremendous leader in the war on Lyme disease, announced a ``sweeping plan to combat Lyme disease and to advance treatment.'' Secretary Kennedy said: ``Millions of Americans battling Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses have spent years searching for answers, treatment, and support. Today, the Trump administration is launching one of the most ambitious Federal efforts ever to combat Lyme disease by accelerating research, expanding innovation, and improving care for patients and families. We are going after this disease at its source, driving faster diagnostics and new prevention strategies, and delivering the urgency and action Americans deserve.'' He said: ``The initiative will develop and deploy practical strategies to target and eliminate ticks on wildlife before they can spread diseases to humans.'' That has been lacking for decades. They are going after the ticks themselves. ``Lyme disease,'' Mr. Speaker, he said: ``remains one of the Nation's fastest growing vector-borne health threats. More than 476,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year, and recent data show emergency room visits for tick bites reached their highest springtime level in nearly a decade.'' Secretary Kennedy also announced new actions to combat Alpha-gal syndrome, a tick-associated condition that can trigger potentially serious allergic reactions to red meat and other products. The CDC estimates nearly 500,000 Americans are living with Alpha-gal syndrome, though emerging evidence suggests the true number may be significantly higher. Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues know, ticks not only transmit Lyme disease but other deadly and debilitating illnesses, such as Alpha-gal, babesiosis, Powassan disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and anaplasmosis. Vector-borne diseases are now endemic in regions of the country where they have not historically been present. Disease-laden ticks are now found in all 48 contiguous States. The problem is exploding. It is not abating. It is, therefore, critical that Congress take immediate action to support and further sustain ongoing efforts to combat these insidious diseases that kill and disable. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4348, a 5-year reauthorization of the Kay Hagan Tick Act, a law that expires on September 30th. My colleagues will recall that our distinguished colleague, North Carolina Senator Kay Hagan, suffered a tick bite and died in 2019 from encephalitis caused by the Powassan virus. The current law and reauthorization is named in her honor. The original Kay Hagan Tick Act, which I led in 2019 here in the House and Susan Collins led it in the Senate, became part of the appropriations act in 2020. The act created, among other things, a whole-of-government national strategy to combat Lyme and other tick- borne diseases with special focus on surveillance, diagnosis, treatment, education, and prevention. I would note parenthetically that I have been working on Lyme disease since 1992, when Pat Smith--no relation--of Wall Township, who actually formed the Lyme Disease Association of America, came up to me in Wall Township and said: What are you doing about Lyme? I said: Nothing. We had lunch. I have been working on it ever since. I introduced my first comprehensive bill--one of many, at times we had over 100 cosponsors--called the Lyme Disease Initiative Act of 1998, almost 30 years ago. We could not move it. It was blocked over and over again. There were some people in HHS and at CDC and elsewhere who were saying, just take 2 weeks of doxycycline and you are cured. When you have chronic Lyme, it takes a very serious effort, very often with a Lyme literate doctor, in order to overcome and put that disease into remission. In February 2024, I remind my colleagues, HHS released the National Public Health Strategy to prevent and control vector-borne diseases. It is an excellent strategy. We are acting on that now as well. It also supports the whole-of-government assault on Lyme. It authorizes $50 million over 5 years for Regional Centers of Excellence. It also, as we did in the original law, authorizes $100 million over 5 years to tangibly assist States' public health departments and other local entities to support the development and implementation of evidence-based research interventions and treatment with respect to the Lyme disease epidemic. I urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, in February, 2024, HHS released the National Public Health Strategy to Prevent and Control Vector-borne Diseases in People with mutually reinforcing goals to: Better understand when, where, and how people are exposed to and get sick or die from VBDs. Develop, evaluate, and improve tools, methods, and guidance to diagnose VBDs and their pathogens. Develop, evaluate, and improve tools, methods, and guidance to prevent and control VBDs. Develop and assess drugs and treatment strategies for VBDs. Disseminate and implement public health tools, programs, and collaborations to prevent, detect, diagnose, and respond to VBD threats. H.R. 4348, supports this whole of government assault on Lyme and other vector borne diseases. H.R. 4348 again authorizes $50 million over five years for the regional centers of excellence, which coordinate with academia and local public health agencies to conduct research on Lyme in their areas and train public health professionals to identify and treat Lyme. Finally, H.R. 434--again as we did in the original law--authorizes cooperative agreement funding for states and localities--$100 million over five years--to tangibly assist state public health departments and other local entities to support the development and implementation of evidence-based research, interventions, and treatment with respect to-- educating and informing the public, based on evidence-based public health research and data, about Lyme Disease and other vector-borne diseases; supporting early detection and diagnosis; supporting prevention; improving treatment; and supporting care planning and management for individuals with Lyme disease and other tick- and vector-borne diseases. I thank the Chairman Brett Guthrie for his personal and extraordinarily strong support of H.R. 4348, as well as his Staff Director Megan Jackson and Health Subcommittee staff Jay Gulshen and Emma Schultheis. Special thanks to Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Health Subcommittee Chair Morgan Griffith and Ranking Member Diana DeGette as well as original cosponsors Lloyd Doggett, Paul Tonko, and Tom Kean.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and colleague for his distinguished leadership. He has been tenacious. Mr. Speaker, we have people who will be speaking and some who couldn't be here who have never given up in trying to protect and preserve the lives of women and children from the violence of abortion. Four years ago today, the Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson decision, brilliantly authored by Justice Sam Alito, who is from my hometown of Hamilton in New Jersey, reversed the infamous holdings of Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. That decision stated the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion, and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected Representatives. After a half century of death--and it continues, but, hopefully, it will be mitigated and maybe ended in time, but a half century of death, more than 65 million unborn children have been violently killed by either dismemberment, decapitation, or chemical poisoning of some kind through this terrible, terrible policy of abortion on demand. Thankfully, as a response to this, many States--21 and counting--have responded by passing pro-life laws to protect unborn children and women from the violence of abortion. For example, Georgia, Iowa, Florida, and South Carolina passed laws to protect the unborn child when a heartbeat can be detected at about 6 weeks. Thirteen States, including Texas, protect the lives of unborn children throughout the entirety of pregnancy. I remind my colleagues that the abortion President, Joe Biden, also acted after Dobbs was enacted. In response to the decision, his Food and Drug Administration allowed women to receive mifepristone, the baby poison, through the mail and without any in-person consultation with a healthcare provider. This dangerous drug is used now to cause at least 6 out of 10 abortions in the United States. How does it operate? It starves the baby to death. I work on global hunger issues and food insecurity all the time. I find it outrageous that there is a chemical administered that literally causes the baby to die from malnutrition. It also then expels the baby, and what results is a dead, badly dehydrated and, sadly, hurt, killed baby. One recent study found that mifepristone is extremely dangerous to women, as well. One in 11 women--10.93 percent to be exact. It was the biggest study ever done on mifepristone--experienced a serious adverse event, sepsis, infection, and hemorrhaging within 45 days of taking the drug. The number of serious adverse events is at least 22 times higher than what the FDA has previously suggested, which was based on egregiously flawed data. The FDA must now move quickly to investigate the impact of this baby poison not just on the baby but on the mother, as well. Meanwhile, pro-life lawmakers, including those of us who are pro-life in this Chamber, will continue to write, advocate for, and pass laws to nurture and protect human life. I suggest to my colleagues that the injustice of abortion violence need not be forever.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank our very distinguished chairman for his strong leadership on religious freedom generally but for this legislation as well. I do appreciate that so much. I want to thank Brad Sherman, who is the Democratic cosponsor, for his leadership in backing this important reauthorization of the United States International Religious Freedom Commission. As I think Members know, USCIRF was created--the acronym we all use for the commission--by Congress to protect religious freedom through the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, a historic landmark law authored by Frank Wolf in 1998. USCIRF's high-quality reporting and high-profile commissioners influence the State Department's work on religious freedom, and also provide Congress with insights with its incisive commentary, making all of the work that all of us do, especially State, more transparent, honest, and effective. The Commission defends the universal right to freedom of religion abroad. It sponsors hearings, fact-finding trips, reviews reports from all comers, especially NGOs and others, religious communities who are, unfortunately, being repressed in many countries of the world. They make very, very good recommendations that often are followed. I also point out that I have probably chaired more than 700 hearings on human rights over the years. I have been here since the year 1980. I always want to have somebody from the commission there, always. They come. They give whatever--the name of the country. They give their insights after a great deal of due diligence. And what a difference that makes in terms of our understanding what is actually going on. USCIRF commissioners are appointed by the President and the congressional leadership. There are nine of them of both parties, so it is totally bipartisan. Last month, our former colleague, Vicky Hartzler, completed a distinguished term on the commission. None of you would be surprised to know that she was very active as the chair of the commission and did a magnificent job. She was appointed by Speaker Johnson, as was Maureen Ferguson, who also just completed her term and did so with great distinction. Again, I remind my colleagues, it was our very good friend, Frank Wolf, who, in 1998, with great legislative skill, commitment, and driving passion, drove the adoption of a singularly important human rights law, the International Religious Freedom Act, or IRFA. This law created a system for naming and taking action of what was now called Countries of Particular Concern, or CPCs. History has shown that when the United States elevates religious freedom and that priority is conveyed to Countries of Particular Concern, conditions often change for the positive. Prisoners of conscience gain their freedom, and progress is made toward the free exercise of religious liberty. As the author of the Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Act of 2016, which updated Frank's legislation, I do follow the CPC recommendations very closely. In that law, we created entities of particular concern, like Boko Haram and some of these horrible organizations that kill people simply because of their faith. The USCIRF acts as a true watchdog, recommending with incisive commentary that the State Department designated countries not leave somebody off because of political considerations. If they are committing human rights abuses against people of faith, they need to be held to account. CPC is followed by a two-step process: first a designation, followed thereafter by sanctions, more than 18 of them prescribed into law. We are hoping that they won't be used. We want to see real reform and people protected like in China and elsewhere from people who wish them ill. I again thank our Members, Brad Sherman, Gus Bilirakis, Henry Cuellar, and all the others who have supported this bill and ask my colleagues to support the legislation.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Colts Neck Community Church (CNCC), a vibrant non-denominational Christian community in my central New Jersey congressional district, which will celebrate, 50 years of faith-filled fellowship on May 17, 2026, and worship in their church on Merchants Way. The church's history is notably defined by grassroots beginnings, compassionate volunteerism, ministry expansion--within and beyond Colts Neck--and steadfast humility and service in the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. This community pillar is a powerful beacon, with dedicated Christians working tirelessly to serve and bless Colts Neck, New Jersey, and the world. Founded by Don and Alma Stewart in the early 1970s, this vigorous home-based mission quickly outgrew the Stewart house and soon began to worship in nearby churches in Eatontown, Freehold, and Aberdeen. Immersed in scripture readings, inspiring music and Bible study, the congregants also wished, worked and prayed for a new physical structure to call their spiritual home. Their prayers were answered and their work paid off, as they ultimately purchased a 7.5-acre plot of land in the heart of Colts Neck. Under the inspiration and leadership of their first full-time pastor, Reverend John Lindsey, the construction was completed and dedicated in less than four months. Thanks in no small part to volunteer labor from congregants and neighboring churches, as well as assistance from Fort Monmouth chaplains and contributions from local residents, the CNCC at last had its own worship sanctuary, in which they could preach, praise God, spend time in fellowship and grow as a community. And grow, they did. In the 1980s and 1990s, Colts Neck Community Church, led by Pastor Darwin Bacon, expanded in attendance, membership, finances, and ministry scope. The church strengthened its community with fellowship meals and services. It also enhanced its mission works and outreach by establishing a church in Howell, New Jersey, supporting foreign missions with volunteer work and financial assistance, and initiating local ministries, like prison outreach and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. After years of dedicated service to CNCC, Pastor Bacon became a full- time missionary, and Dr. Philip J. Swanson then took the helm. Under Dr. Swanson's leadership, the church emphasized a vision of ``Back to the Basics--Into the Future,'' focusing on foundational ministries while preparing for future growth. This period saw the addition of a parsonage on church property and the Fellowship Hall, which houses a number of special events and programs. In 2005, then-pastor George Russ reemphasized local outreach, which enabled it to strengthen its service in Colts Neck. The church established day-long leadership conferences for local high school students, financial seminars during the economic downturn of 2007 to 2008, fundraisers for the Fire Department and EMT services, and participation in community events, such as Colts Neck Day. The church also inspired its youth to serve the community's elderly with home-improvement volunteer work. In fact, in 2006, the CNCC became the first church in the Northeast to host its first of many World Changers programs. At World Changers, hundreds of teenagers and their sponsors come together every year to mow lawns, repair roofs, install wheelchair ramps and more in the local communities of Neptune and Freehold, New Jersey. Also in 2006, Pastor Chris Durkin, today's current pastor, was tapped to lead the congregation. With hundreds of member families, the church, under Pastor Durkin, continues its strong dedication to meeting the needs of the greater community. Members continue to provide fun, Bible- based summer activities for children through their Vacation Bible School program, fall festival and their well-attended Christmastime living nativity. Additionally, they help support those dealing with loss by facilitating the Griefshare program. Similarly, CNCC members participate in disaster relief and serve local non-profits, such as Jersey Shore Rescue Mission and Solutions Pregnancy Center, showing true Christian love and providing critical support to those in need. Over the years, CNCC has continued to build upon the vision and commitment of its predecessors--sharing the Gospel with more people and expanding the reach of its ministries and services. Their powerful combination of faith and good works knows no bounds. On this joyous occasion of the CNCC's Golden Jubilee anniversary, I am honored to congratulate church leader, Pastor Chris Durkin and his wife, Melissa; my good friend and congregation President, the remarkably effective Glen Dalakian and his wonderful wife, Cyndi; and all the leaders and members of the Colts Neck Community Church. My wife, Marie, and I thank them for their Christ-inspired love and service for our community, and we pray that the church continues to grow, thrive and attend to the good people of Colts Neck and Monmouth County, New Jersey for generations to come.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, I thank my friends on the other side of the aisle. I thank Mr. Olszewksi for his kind words on behalf of this important resolution and Speaker Pelosi and Tom Suozzi. We worked together very, very closely on the Uyghurs, and I thank him for his strong statement, and of course, Young Kim, as eloquent as she always is. There is a great deal of support for Jimmy Lai. As we all know, he is 78. He got a 20-year prison sentence on top of the 5 he has already served. It is a death sentence. He is not well. He has a number of maladies that are affecting his health. We know, and the Speaker will remember, when Liu Xiaobo, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, when he was gravely sick, the Chinese Communist Party would not even let him get the medical attention that he required. We don't want a deja vu on that ever. He needs to be released to his family so he can get the very necessary healthcare and to, in these final years, enjoy his amazing family and to be celebrated, frankly, for the great man that he is. Senator Rick Scott and I did a letter last week which kind of summed it all up. One hundred of our colleagues signed on to it. In part it said: The humanitarian case for Mr. Lai's freedom is urgent and undeniable. He is a devout Catholic and successful entrepreneur who has already spent 5 years in detention, much of it in solitary confinement. His health has declined in custody, and prolonged isolation and inadequate prison conditions only increase the risk of permanent harm. Mr. President, we greatly appreciated that you have discussed the case of Jimmy Lai with Xi Jinping before. We know you have pledged to do it again. We are hoping that the appeal will be heard by Xi Jinping himself: Search deep in your heart. Why continue to repress this absolutely amazing man who should be getting the Nobel Peace Prize, not a prison sentence? Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to finally get this done, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim), the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I, like many in the House and the Senate, want to thank President Trump for requesting on numerous occasions that Xi Jinping release Jimmy Lai and other women and men who are gravely sick and unjustly incarcerated. It is not largely known, but hundreds of innocent Americans languish in Chinese prisons today, including Nelson Wells of New Orleans and Dawn Michelle Hunt from Chicago. At a hearing that I chaired in September of 2024, Bringing Home Americans Detained in China, we heard heartbreaking stories from their families and their loved ones. According to the Foley Foundation, more United States nationals are wrongfully detained in China than in any other country. I have introduced legislation to create a comprehensive strategy to try to obtain their release. H. Res. 1259 speaks to this issue of unjustly detained individuals. It is about Pastor Ezra Jin, founder of the Zion Church, detained and denied needed medical care. It is about Pastor Gao Quanfu and his wife, Pang Yu, detained for peaceful religious leadership. It is about Gulshan Abbas, serving a 20-year sentence because her sister, Rushan Abbas, dared to tell Congress the truth about the CCP's genocide against the Uyghurs. I alone, and she has testified before other committees, have had Rushan Abbas testify three different times. She is eloquent. She is nonviolent and just wants her sister returned home to be safe. The CCP has imprisoned one sister in this case in order to silence another, and that is hostage taking plain and simple. Of course, this resolution is about Jimmy Lai, the courageous founder of Apple Daily imprisoned because he defended freedom of the press, democracy, and the rule of law in Hong Kong. His son, Sebastien Lai, testified in 2023 at a hearing that I chaired of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. When he was done I said: You know, you are a chip off the old block. You are so persuasive and so full of goodness just like your father. He did tell us that his father was refusing to be silenced and still speaking truth to power and that he may die in prison. That testimony, Madam Speaker, should haunt us and move us to action. I would remind my colleagues that some years ago, working with Speaker Pelosi, we were able to pass the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. Unfortunately, it has only gotten worse since then. Yes, sanctions have been meted out, but unfortunately, Xi Jinping has incarcerated the best, the bravest, and the brightest in all of China. Jimmy Lai should not spend one more night in a Hong Kong prison. He is a man of total nonviolence. He used the power of the pen to try to persuade and to admonish. Like Sebastien, Jimmy Lai's daughter, Claire, has bravely, tenaciously, and prayerfully advocated for her father's release. Claire told the Associated Press last December that her dad just wants to reunite with his family. He wants to dedicate his life, what is left of it, to serving our Lord, and he wants to dedicate the rest of his days to his family. Claire has met with many, many House and Senate Members. She sat right up there during the State of the Union Address. She has met with Members. I was with her for much of that time. She was with the Speaker, and she was just so gracious. She exudes compassion, and she radiates kindness. All that she and Sebastien are asking for is that their father be released. We know President Trump is going to raise that face-to-face with Xi Jinping. I would remind my colleagues that I have been in this body for 46 years and have worked on the release of political prisoners all over the world starting in the Soviet Union. We have always found out that when the United States names prisoners, it works. Reagan did it all the time. Secretary of State Shultz said specific names, and many of those people were released when they were advocated for. It can also help secure access to lawyers, family, and medical care, and it can save lives. Again, it can lead to releases. I note, parenthetically, because I work on Belarus all the time, about 500 prisoners have been released due to the advocacy and intervention of the President. That is amazing. It does work, and he is trying to do it now as he heads over to China. It matters. It matters to their families. It matters to every prisoner languishing in a cell because he or she dare to pray, publish, speak, worship, or advocate for fundamental human rights and freedoms. It matters to the Chinese Communist Party because autocrats listen when the President of the United States names names. Silence is not an option. Silence tells the jailer no one is watching. Silence tells the prisoner the world has moved on, turned the page. Silence tells Beijing that hostage diplomacy, coercive exit bans, and transnational repression can be normalized. It can't be normalized. We will not be silent, and we pray and hope that the President is successful. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1259) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should prioritize securing the release of Pastor Jin Mingri, Pastor Gao Quanfu and his wife Pang Yu, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, and Jimmy Lai detained by the People's Republic of China during future engagements with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the gentlewoman from New Jersey, the Honorable Analilia Mejia, be permitted to take the oath of office today. Her certificate of election has not arrived, but there is no contest and no question has been raised with regard to her election.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, on March 10, 2026, the citizens of Wall, New Jersey will officially recognize the 175th anniversary of the founding of their Township, a historic and vibrant municipality located in the 4th Congressional District of New Jersey. From its critical contributions in support of the American patriots during the Revolutionary War, to the important technological innovations discovered there during the 20th century, to the expansive selection of primary and specialty medical care providers offered there today, Wall Township has given its residents much to be proud of and celebrate. Officially incorporated in March of 1851, Wall Township was named in honor of Garret D. Wall, a notable New Jersey lawyer, judge, and U.S. Senator during the mid-19th century. Senator Wall was also a veteran of the War of 1812, who was stationed at Sandy Hook, and a Quartermaster general for the State of New Jersey. And Senator Wall was the only man appointed to Governor who declined to serve. Naming Wall Township in his honor speaks to Senator Wall's humility, patriotism, integrity, and once-in-a-lifetime service. But Wall Township's rich and expansive history can be traced back to before its incorporation--as far back to pre-Revolutionary War times. In 1693, East and West New Jersey Governor Andrew Hamilton established Monmouth County, New Jersey, which, at the time, only consisted of three townships: Freehold, Middletown, and Shrewsbury. Modern-day Wall Township existed within Shrewsbury's historic borders. And during this time, Wall Township established itself as a critical, resourceful, and productive part of Monmouth County and New Jersey as a whole. In 1776, when the Continental Congress issued urgent calls to the colonies to boost salt production, the colonists of early Wall Township answered. They established numerous emergency saltworks, which were critical for preserving fish, meat, and hides, in addition to making gunpowder--vital to the success of our nascent army. Among these emergency saltworks was the infamous Union Saltworks on the Manasquan River, which was repeatedly destroyed by the British and reconstructed by the Americans--showing that the residents of Wall were then, as they are now, the ``salt of the Earth.'' In fact, the repeated rebuilding of Union Saltworks is a testament to the enduring grit that still defines Wall residents to this day. Nearly two centuries later, Wall Township again became a hotspot for making significant contributions to U.S. military operations and national security. In the early 20th century, Wall Township became the birthplace of the Marconi Belmar Wireless Station, a massive trans-Atlantic radio transmission complex built by inventor Guglielmo Marconi. Prior to the United States' entry into World War II, the U.S. Army acquired the Marconi Station in 1941 and established Camp Evans, a military communications center and cutting-edge radar research facility. At Camp Evans, military researchers and scientists developed novel broadcasting and defense technologies, many of which are still used today. Namely, Camp Evans boasted the radar technology that was able to detect the Japanese planes within an hour of their bombing of Pearl Harbor. This technology was also used to aid U.S. air power, playing a vital role in securing Allied success during World War II. Camp Evans is also the home of Project Radar Diana--an unofficial U.S. Army project named after the Roman moon goddess Diana and conducted during the mid-1940s--that contributed to momentous breakthroughs in space exploration. Project Radar Diana laid the foundation for future U.S. space exploration and helped make our first voyage into space possible. Wall Township's innovative spirit lives on through its nearly 27,000 residents, as the home of a diverse small business and growing eco- tourism sector, numerous parks and open spaces, and highly rated schools. Among the scientists, astronauts, entrepreneurs, musicians, political leaders, and decorated war heroes who have all called Wall Township home are the supportive parents, good neighbors, hard workers, and caring citizens that make up this amazing community. I am honored to congratulate the entire municipality and join in celebrating this amazing milestone. It has been a momentous past 175 years, and I can only imagine the great heights to which Wall Township will soar over the next 175 years.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, for far too long, Iran has held the world hostage with its nuclear threats, unbridled violence and hate, pervasive use of torture and rape, and Nazi-like anti-Semitism. Iran is the world's worst state sponsor of terrorism. All diplomatic initiatives to secure peace, justice, and reconciliation with the Iranian dictatorship have been fruitless. President Trump is a man of his word, and he means it when he says that Iran must never be permitted to acquire a nuclear weapon. Despite ample warnings and admonishments to negotiate seriously, which it has never done, Iran has defied U.S. diplomacy to end its decades-long quest to procure nuclear weapons and cease its despicable violence against Americans, Israelis, and the Iranians themselves. Among the many egregious concessions made in 2015 by President Obama to the Iranians was to get a deal which included removal of a treaty obligation that would have ended Iran's missile program and prevent the production of the ballistic missiles that are today raining down on our American military in the region, Israeli civilians, and our friends in neighboring countries. In debate on the House floor in 2015, I stood right here and said: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei criticized the call for Iran to end its ballistic missile program, characterizing it as a stupid and idiotic expectation, claiming that the Revolutionary Guard should definitely carry out their program and not be satisfied with the present level of missiles. Khamenei said that they should mass produce those missiles, and mass produce they have, killing thousands and putting millions more at risk. It is estimated that Iran produces 100 missiles each and every month. I would remind my colleagues that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed by China, France, Germany, Russia, the U.K., and, of course, the United States, the P5+1, had a sunset date of October 18, 2025. I remember asking for it during debate in committee and on the floor. Sunset? Did anyone think that in 2015 that Iran would somehow matriculate from a brutal dictatorship to a democracy in those 10 years? That provided the Iranians the incentive to wait us out because then everything would be lifted even in that flawed deal. Let me also point out to my colleagues that the Trump administration has refused--I say again ``refused''--to have the United States bullied by Iran. The distinguished chairman before went through one instance after another where they have killed Americans. Even when they bombed us in Lebanon, there was a young man in the Marines from my district who was killed in that brutal act of war by the Iranian dictatorship. I just say that I am against this resolution. May God bless and protect our courageous servicemembers, as well as the idea of soldiers who are fighting this tyrannical Iranian dictatorship with incredible courage, professionalism, skill, and tenacity.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I do want to thank the gentleman, especially for his leadership as the chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies bill. He has worked so hard to preserve the Hyde amendment and all the other important pro-life amendments that have to be renewed every single year. The gentleman has been a force. He stands tall. He makes a very, very articulate argument, not only in committee but here on the floor, and I thank the gentleman for that. It is truly remarkable. Mr. Speaker, I want to conclude my comments, today first, by noting how grateful I am to the Members of this House who speak out with compassion and boldly in defense of the unborn and equally of their mothers. Abortion has two victims--three if there are twins--the babies and then their moms. Then there is even extenuating damage done to the family that is grossly underappreciated with father's rights being abridged and completely set aside with this so-called abortion decision. Let me point out to my colleagues that the purveyors of death and their enablers in politics, the media, and academia aggressively foster a culture of death, denial, disrespect, and discrimination against babies and employ an endless array of deceitful tactics designed to trivialize and mask the cruel and ugly reality of abortion, presenting the violence of abortion as a so-called right. One only has to look beyond the slogans and surface appeal arguments to find the harsh reality of abortion. The abortion pill mifepristone is baby poison. It kills the unborn child by starving the innocent baby to death. I do a lot on world hunger. I do a lot on domestic hunger. Mr. Speaker, I believe in the importance of nutrition. Two global food security acts have passed this House as my bills. In the past they went on to become law. I believe in it strongly, and, yet, mifepristone, the abortion pill, starves the baby to death. I had a meeting with the Secretary General of the United Nations Guterres in my office a couple years ago, and he, too, believes in alleviating and ameliorating world hunger. I said: Mr. Secretary General, how could we be simultaneously looking to mitigate the damage of crop failure, famine, and all the others and its implications for food insecurity while simultaneously starving an entire segment of society, unborn babies, to death? How could we do that? He had no answer. His staff had no answer. We have to face these realities and stop looking askance and looking as if they don't exist. It is a horrible reality. Let me also point out to my colleagues that the abortion pill--about 60 percent of all the abortions now are procured through mifepristone in the United States. It is very dangerous to women. Bill Clinton and his FDA Commissioner Kessler went over and begged that Roussel Uclaf, who then was marketing this abortion pill, send it to the United States. Where does the FDA commissioner come in saying we need this baby poison? It doesn't cure anything, unless you construe an unborn child to be a tumor or something that needs to be vanquished and excised, and of course, they are not. They are God's gift to each and every one of us, and every one of us here today at one time was in that stage of development as the unborn. What we have now found out, which is what we have known for years, is that based on the most recent study by the group, the Ethics and Public Policy Center--it is the largest study ever done, ever, nothing even comes close, and they did it in a way that almost takes out bias in terms of reporting--they found, and, again, this is the biggest study we have ever seen, that more than 1 in 10 patients experience a serious adverse event from the abortion pill, 1 in 10. That is 10.93 percent. What are these damages? These damages are serious infection; sepsis, which could be life threatening; hemorrhaging; and a number of other adverse events. Do you hear Planned Parenthood ever saying, oh, the pill carries with it all of these deleterious effects to women? Never. They tell lies that deceive women and they say that, oh, it is very, very safe. I am very critical of the FDA for all these years. They did sham studies on this over the years. We pointed it out. Nobody listened, and now this study breaks through and says: Please, the women need to know that there are very serious consequences to this abortion pill. Let me also say to my colleagues that, yes, everyone in the pro-life movement who can make it will be at the March for Life tomorrow here in Washington. Thank God that the growing number of young people in this country are pro-life, rejecting the very surface appeal argumentation that has been used to dismiss and trivialize the beautiful life of an unborn child and, again, the terrible effects that these abortions have on women. Today, and it will be announced officially tomorrow, the Trump Administration has just announced a comprehensive new policy protecting life in foreign assistance. It is humane, life-affirming, and rejects the culture of death which we have been exporting all over the world by hijacking our foreign aid for very good projects such as malaria alleviation and PEPFAR, which is a good program, but it was hijacked by the Biden administration. The recipients of that funding were told: Change the policies of the country where you are working to have abortion on demand. The only reason PEPFAR didn't get reauthorized in the last Congress was because of that, because he had hijacked it. Unfortunately, that is not what we signed up for. We wanted to mitigate mother-to-child transmission, and I did the reauthorization of it for 5 years several years ago. I really believe in it, and I was shocked, dismayed, and angered that the Biden administration took that money and used it for things that it was not intended to be used for. The new conditions that have been now promulgated--the rule goes into effect shortly, Monday, I believe--actually conditions $30 billion in foreign aid to serve humanitarian and health needs around the world instead of bankrolling U.N. entities and NGOs that promote and perform abortion violence. Mr. Speaker, I can't tell you how discouraged I am that the WHO has become just another Planned Parenthood, and they push abortion on demand right until birth. There are no conscience rights, Mr. Speaker. If you are an OB/GYN or a nurse or anyone else, you can't say: Please, I don't want to be involved. Governments would have coercive power to say: You do that, or else you are not licensed any longer. Mr. Speaker, I would say to my colleagues, too, that a Marist Poll that was released today found that a huge majority of Americans, 69 percent, oppose using tax dollars to support abortion in other countries. Mr. Speaker, twenty-nine percent are for it. I would point out that for the Independents it is 59 percent. Republicans are even higher, and Democrats are tied in terms of those who support promoting global abortion and those who do not, but 69 percent in the aggregate feel that way. At this podium in 1985, I offered the amendment to defund the UNFPA because of its forced abortion complicity which was shameless--it is the same today, in China, especially--but also to protect the Reagan Mexico City policy which has now been reiterated and strengthened by the Trump administration. This is really important, lifesaving work, and I am shocked and dismayed, again, that so many people don't see the very simple fact. The next time you see an ultrasound, Mr. Speaker, of children or your grandchildren, just remember those very children at that very age are being dismembered or chemically poisoned by this abortion pill. Again, I don't know how anybody defends dismemberment abortions. What got me into this movement way back when, in 1972, was when I saw the effect of a dismemberment abortion. Limbs were hacked off, and decapitation of the head was seen as a benign procedure called a D&E. I am just shocked that people don't see that that is violence against children. Equally, it is violence against mothers. Mr. Speaker, I call on everyone who might be watching this: Please pray for this movement. Pray for the mothers. Pregnancy care centers are filled to overflowing with women who have had abortions and never want to see another woman suffer like that. I have met with so many. During the Michelle Fischbach bill the other day I talked about one woman who was trafficked. She was trafficked for years. She was helped by a pregnancy care center who just loved her and helped her with her child both during the pregnancy and afterward. Now she is running a pregnancy care center because she cares so much that no other woman experience whatever the trauma is that she had gone through. I do thank her. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Barr), who is my good friend and colleague.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt), the distinguished chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee. He is also the chair of the House Values Action Team.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman), who has four committee assignments: Budget, Judiciary, Education and Workforce, and Oversight and Government Reform. I don't know where he finds the time, but I do thank him for his great leadership on pro-life.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Clyde). He is a combat veteran who served for 28 years, a member of the Committee on Appropriations, and just has been, again, outspoken and very effective over these years on defending the unborn.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank Bob for his leadership. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Ms. Hageman). I would just point out for the record that she has 34 years as a litigator, is admitted to practice in several States and the United States Supreme Court, and is a distinguished member of the Committee on the Judiciary.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Miller) for her great leadership. Her voice is always there, and I thank her so much for that. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Onder), who is co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus. He also is the author of laws when he was in the legislature in Missouri, and he is a doctor and really gets it, and also has another degree in law. He is the package. He does it all.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I now recognize the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Miller), who is a great voice, has great strength on behalf of the family and the unborn child, and has a number of bills that she has offered dealing with the life issue.