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Chris Smith's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

Office:

On The Ballot: Running, Republican for U.S. House (NJ) - District 4

Key

Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.

Chris Smith has failed to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2024 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.

What is the Political Courage Test?

Issue Positions

For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2024.

  • Rated 100% by National Right to Life Committee (None)
  • Voted against HR 8296: "Women's Health Protection Act of 2022" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 26: "Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 25% by National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (None)
  • Voted against HR 1: "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 56% by National Taxpayers Union (None)
  • Voted in favor of HR 5377: "Restoring Tax Fairness for States and Localities Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 1: "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 56% by National Taxpayers Union (None)
  • Voted in favor of HR 5377: "Restoring Tax Fairness for States and Localities Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 11% by Common Cause (None)
  • Rated 0% by End Citizens United (None)
  • Voted against HR 1: "For the People Act of 2021" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 1280 "George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021." (votesmart.org)
  • "The JUSTICE Act is a serious, comprehensive and balanced reform initiative--an important step forward." (None)
  • Voted against HR 2670: "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 4365: "Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2024" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 7900: "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 2811: "Limit, Save, Grow Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 5376: "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022" (votesmart.org)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Voted against HR 5376: "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022" (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 25% by National Education Association (None)
  • Voted against HR 2547: "Comprehensive Debt Collection Improvement Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 4: "John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021" (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 11% by Common Cause (None)
  • Voted against HR 5746: "Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 17% by League of Conservation Voters (None)
  • Voted in favor of HR 4447: "Expanding Access to Sustainable Energy Act of 2019" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 21: "Strategic Production Response Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 1146: "Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 1941: "Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 1: "Lower Energy Costs Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 1446: "Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021" (votesmart.org)
  • "Reasonable laws that protect Second Amendment rights while ensuring that felons, fugitives, domestic abusers and other dangerous individuals do not have access to guns help prevent violence and save lives," said Smith. "This common-sense legislation would ensure that firearms are purchased, owned and used by responsible, law-abiding citizens by closing the "private sale loophole' and listing all those prohibited from buying a firearm in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System." (None)
  • Voted against S 2938: "Bipartisan Safer Communities Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 8: "Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of H.R. 2192 "McSally Amendment" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 1425: "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 6201: "Families First Coronavirus Response Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 5378: "Lower Costs, More Transparency Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted against HR 3: "Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 6833: "The Affordable Insulin Now Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 2: "Secure the Border Act of 2023" (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 91% by NumbersUSA (None)
  • Voted in favor of HR 5525: "Continuing Appropriations and Border Security Enhancement Act, 2024" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 1603: "Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021" (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 91% by NumbersUSA (None)
  • Voted in favor of HR 6: "American Dream and Promise Act of 2021" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 8030: "Indo-Pacific Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 3033: "Solidify Iran Sanctions Act of 2023" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 6015: "Iran Sanctions Accountability Act of 2023" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 8035: "Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of S 3522: "Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 5692: "Ukraine Security Assistance and Oversight Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 7691: "Making emergency supplemental appropriations for assistance for the situation in Ukraine for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022, and for other purposes." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 8035: "Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of HR 7521: "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act" (votesmart.org)
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
The Political Courage Test asks candidates which items they will support if elected. It does not ask them to indicate which items they will oppose. Through extensive research of public polling data, we discovered that voters are more concerned with what candidates would support when elected to office, not what they oppose. If a candidate does not select a response to any part or all of any question, it does not necessarily indicate that the candidate is opposed to that particular item.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion.

X a) Abortions should always be illegal.
b) Abortions should always be legal.
c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
d) Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
X e) Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
X f) Prohibit public funding of abortions and to organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
Abortions takes the life of an unborn child and harms the mother emotionally and physically. Women deserve better.

Using the key, indicate what federal funding levels you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category, you can use a number more than once.Budget Priorities

Slightly Decrease a) Agriculture
Maintain Status b) Arts
Slightly Increase c) Defense
Greatly Increase d) Education
Slightly Increase e) Environment
Greatly Increase f) Homeland security
Slightly Increase g) International aid
Slightly Increase h) Law enforcement
Greatly Increase i) Medical research
Maintain Status j) National parks
Greatly Increase k) Public health services
Slightly Increase l) Scientific research
Maintain Status m) Space exploration programs
Slightly Increase n) Transportation and highway infrastructure
Slightly Increase o) Welfare
Greatly Increase p) Emergency preparedness
Greatly increase Veteran's healthcare and benefits

Defense Spending

Slightly Increase a) Armed forces personnel training
Greatly Increase b) Intelligence operations
Slightly Increase c) Military hardware
Slightly Increase d) Modernization of weaponry and equipment
Slightly Increase e) National missile defense
Greatly Increase f) Pay for active duty personnel
Greatly Increase g) Programs to improve troop retention rates
Slightly Increase h) Research and development of new weapons
Greatly Increase i) Troop and equipment readiness
Greatly increase Veteran's healthcare and benefits

Using the key above, indicate what federal tax levels you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category.TaxesIncome Taxes:Family IncomeRetiree IncomeOther Taxes:Deductions/Credits:

Eliminate a) Less than $25,000
Greatly Decrease b) $25,000-$75,000
Slightly Decrease c) $75,000-$150,000
Maintain Status d) Over $150,000
e) Other or expanded categories
f) Over $40,000
g) Other or expanded categories
Maintain Status a) Alcohol taxes
Maintain Status b) Capital gains taxes
Slightly Increase c) Cigarette taxes
Maintain Status d) Corporate taxes
Maintain Status e) Gasoline taxes
Eliminate f) Inheritance taxes
g) Other or expanded categories
Slightly Increase a) Charitable contributions
Greatly Increase b) Child tax credit
Maintain Status c) Earned income tax credit
Greatly Increase d) Medical expense deduction
Maintain Status e) Mortgage deduction
Slightly Increase f) Student loan credit
Greatly increase Education Expenses Credits
Yes 4) Do you support the permanent repeal of the federal estate tax?
Yes 5) Do you support making President Bush's tax cuts permanent?
7) Other or expanded principles
Support economic growth to increase the tax base and increase revenues flowing into the US Treasury. Eliminate tax fraud and unfair tax aviodance gimmicks - both on and off shore - so everyone pays their fair share. Strengthen oversight of government spending and reduce fraud and waste by holding accountable both government and private sector officials who betray the trust given them.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.

a) Support public taxpayer funding for federal candidates who comply with campaign spending limits.
b) Increase the amount individuals are permitted to contribute to federal campaigns.
c) Prohibit Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions to candidates for federal office.
d) Allow unregulated soft money campaign contributions to political parties or committees.
e) Remove all contribution limits on federal campaigns and parties.
f) Require Section 527 organizations to register with the Federal Election Commission as Political Action Committees.
No g) Do you support instant run-off voting?
No h) Should Election Day be a national holiday?
Yes i) Do you support a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as a union between a man and woman?
j) Other or expanded principles

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime.

a) Support the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
X b) Eliminate the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
X c) Support programs to provide prison inmates with educational, vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
X d) Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment.
e) Reduce prison sentences for those who commit non-violent crimes.
X f) Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, and disability be prosecuted as federal hate crimes.
X g) Impose stricter penalties for those convicted of corporate crimes.
X h) Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults.
Continue my leadership to protect women and children from sex-trafficing and to combat child and slave labor

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding drugs.

X a) Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs.
X b) Expand federally sponsored drug education and drug treatment programs.
c) Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
d) Allow doctors to recommend marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes.
X e) Increase border security to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the United States.
f) Eliminate federal funding for programs associated with the "war on drugs."
X g) Support a federal law to standardize testing and penalties for steroid use in professional sports.
Strong action against steroid use in professional sports is needed to discourage younger athletes from that dangerous practice.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.

X a) Support national standards for and testing of public school students.
b) Allow parents to use vouchers, (equal opportunity scholarships) to send their children to any public school.
c) Allow parents to use vouchers, (equal opportunity scholarships) to send their children to any private or religious school.
X d) Allow teachers and professionals to receive authorization and funding to establish charter schools.
X e) Reward teachers with merit pay for working in low-income schools.
X f) Increase funding for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings, infrastructure, technology).
g) Support affirmative action in public college admissions.
X h) Increase funding of programs such as Pell grants and Stafford loans to help students pay for college.
X i) Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college.
I supported a demonstration pilot voucher program to assess its application nationwide

1) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment.2) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding affirmative action.

X a) Increase funding for national job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
b) Reduce government regulation of the private sector in order to encourage investment and economic expansion.
X c) Provide tax credits or grants to businesses that offer child care services to employees.
X d) Encourage employers to offer flex-time scheduling, comp-time, and unpaid leave for family emergencies.
e) Eliminate all federal programs designed to reduce unemployment.
X f) Increase the federal minimum wage.
X g) Support the right of workers to strike without fear of being permanently replaced.
h) Include sexual orientation in federal anti-discrimination laws.
a) The federal government should consider race and gender in government contracting decisions.
b) The federal government should discontinue affirmative action programs.
c) The federal government should continue affirmative action programs.
As the author of the law to help homeless veterans rebuild their lives, I strongly believe our government must work to improve job-training and related assistance.
The federal government should continue to reform programs that seek to ensure fairness in employment and contracting.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.

X a) Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act.
X b) Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act.
X c) Support Clear Skies Act to reduce power plant emissions by setting a national cap on pollutants.
d) Require states to compensate citizens when environmental regulations limit uses of privately-owned land.
e) Relax logging restrictions on federal lands.
f) Relax standards on federal lands to allow increased recreational usage.
g) Support increased development of traditional energy resources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil).
X h) Strengthen emission controls and fuel efficiency standards on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
i) Support opening a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration.
X j) Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels to reduce pollution.
k) Support the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel.
l) Allow energy producers to trade pollution credits.
X m) Support the Kyoto Protocol to limit global warming.
Support initiatives to ban dumping of waste into our oceans

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.

X a) Reauthorize the ban on the sale or transfer of semi-automatic guns, except those used for hunting.
X b) Maintain and strengthen the current level of enforcement of existing federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
c) Ease federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
d) Repeal federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
e) Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
X f) Require background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows.
g) Require a license for gun possession.
Regarding (a) support reauthorizationg the ban on the sale or transfer of semi-automatic assualt weapons. Support the Brady Bill and support state licensing of firearms.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health care.

a) Providing health care is not a responsibility of the federal government.
b) Implement a universal health care program to guarantee coverage to all Americans regardless of income.
X c) Expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts.
X d) Establish limits on the amount of punitive damages awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
X e) Support expanding prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
X f) Offer tax credits to individuals and small businesses to offset the cost of insurance coverage.
X g) Support automatic enrollment of children in federal health care programs such as CHIP and Medicaid.
h) Support stem cell research on existing lines of stem cells.
i) Allow laboratories to create new lines of stem cells for additional research.
Support regotiations of Medicare drug prices and drug importation with protection against fraud. Support multi-pronged approach to providing access to healthcare such as tax incentives to individuals and companies strong veterans healthcare, medicare and a broad safety net, including Community health Centers, Medicaid & SHIPP.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding immigration.

a) Decrease the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country.
b) Establish English as the official national language.
c) Support a temporary worker program that would enable illegal immigrants to work in the United States legally.
d) Relax restrictions barring legal immigrants from using government funded social programs (e.g. public housing, food stamps).
e) Support amnesty for illegal immigrants already working in the United States.
We should strengthen border security to protect our national security. We should maintain our nation's proud tradition of welcoming legal immigrants

International AidIndicate which principles you support (if any) regarding United States economic assistance.

X a) Aid should be granted to countries when extraordinary circumstances cause disaster and threaten civilian lives.
X b) Aid should be granted to countries when it is in the security interests of the United States.
c) Aid should be eliminated for any nation with documented human rights abuses.
d) International Aid programs should be scaled back and eventually eliminated.
Regarding c. I support terminating non-humanitarian aid to nations that abuse human rights.

International Policy1) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the Middle East.2) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding Central and East Asia.3) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the United Nations.

Yes a) Should the United States continue to provide leadership in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process?
Yes b) Should the United States support the creation of a Palestinian state?
No c) Should the United States withdraw its troops from Iraq?
d) Should the United States send more troops to Iraq?
f) Other or expanded principles
Yes a) Should the United States use diplomatic and economic pressure to encourage North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program?
b) Should the United States use military force to dismantle the North Korean nuclear weapons program?
c) Should the United States remove the North Korean government from power?
Yes d) Should the United States increase financial support to Afghanistan?
Yes e) Should the United States increase military support to Afghanistan?
Yes a) Should the United States maintain its financial support of the United Nations?
No b) Should the United States decrease its financial support of the United Nations?
Yes c) Should the United States commit troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions?
No 4) Should the United States lift the travel ban to Cuba?
Yes 5) Should the United States increase its financial support to Colombia to combat "the war on drugs?"
Yes 6) Should aid to African nations for AIDS prevention programs fund distribution of contraceptives?
Yes 7) Should aid to African nations for AIDS prevention programs fund abstinence education?
I want our soldiers to come home-and- soon. But that fervent hope must be tempered with realities on the ground. What do our military commanders think? To leave prematurely or pursuant to an arbitrarily arrived at deadline established by members of Congress may unwittingly put more lives at risk and strengthen the fanaticism and hopes of terrorist. Public debate on exit strategy is important, even necessary...
The US must do all it can to fight and eliminate terrorism.
The US should push the UN to reform; particularly the new Human Rights Council should address major human rights abusers who are not being recognized for their abuses.
I strongly support the scientifically proven ABC method used to combat AIDS in Africa. Uganda is a prime example of this success.

International TradeIndicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international trade.

No 1) Do you support the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)?
No 2) Do you support the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)?
No 3) Do you support the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)?
No 4) Do you support continued U.S. membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO)?
Yes 5) Should a nation's human rights record affect its normal trade relations (most favored nation) status with the United States?
Yes 6) Do you support the trade embargo against Cuba?
Yes 7) Should trade agreements include provisions to address environmental concerns and to protect workers' rights?
I have long opposed entering into unfair trade relationships that do not protect human rights, worker rights, the environment and access to medicines.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding national security.

Yes a) Do you support using military tribunals to try suspected terrorists when ordinary civilian courts are deemed inappropriate or impractical?
b) Should the United States grant law enforcement agencies greater discretion to read mail and email, tap phones, and conduct random searches to prevent future terrorist attacks?
Yes c) Should the United States hold foreign states accountable for terrorists who operate in their country?
Yes d) Should the federal government increase funding to states and cities for homeland security?
Yes e) Do you support the prohibition of torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment of prisoners in U.S. custody?
f) Do you support a policy of pre-emptive military strikes against countries deemed to be a threat to U.S. national security?
g) Other or expanded principles

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding Social Security.

a) Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts which they manage themselves.
b) Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts managed by private firms contracted by the government.
c) Invest a portion of Social Security assets collectively in stocks and bonds instead of United States Treasury securities.
d) Increase the payroll tax to better finance Social Security in its current form.
e) Lower the annual cost-of-living increases.
f) Raise the retirement age for individual eligibility to receive full Social Security benefits.
X g) Other of expanded principles
I have grave concerns about diverting current Social Security payroll taxes into personal accounts. Payroll taxes from today's workers are used primarily to pay benefits to current recipients. To guarantee current promised benefits an estimated $754 billion extra (including added debt interest) would be needed to cover funds reprogrammed into personal accounts.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding technology and communication.

a) Collect taxes on commercial Internet transactions.
X b) Continue the moratorium on Internet taxation.
c) Implement government regulation of Internet content.
X d) Support government mandates to curtail violent and sexual content on television.
X e) Support strict penalties for Internet crimes (e.g. hacking, identity theft, worms/viruses).
X f) Support legislation to detail how personal information can be collected and used on the Internet.
g) Regulating the Internet is not a responsibility of the federal government.
Child pornography is not freedom of speech and must be eliminated from the Internet. Means must be developed and available to protect our children from violent and sexual content on the Internet.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare and poverty.

X a) Require welfare recipients to spend at least 40 hours a week in a combination of work and training programs.
X b) Increase funding for child care programs.
c) Continue to give states and local governments flexibility in and responsibility for welfare programs through federal block grants.
X d) Direct federal poverty aid through religious, community-based, or other non-profit organizations.
e) Abolish all federal welfare programs.
X f) Support housing assistance for welfare recipients.
Welfare recipients should be supported with the assistance needed to rebuild their lives and care for their families
On an attached page, disk, or via email, please explain in a total of 75 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.

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