{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=415163", "Catholic News Agency article on Smith's work to promote religious freedom'Trump to create sanctions plan for Nigeria, congressman says'", "2025-12-10", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "House", "NJ", "Christopher H. Smith", "S000522", "chrissmith.house.gov", "chrissmith", "https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx", "scraper", "By Madalaine Elhabbal\n\nPublished December 10, 2025 at 15:30 PM\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump is crafting a sanctions plan to increase pressure on the Nigerian government amid ongoing Christian persecution, according to a leading member of Congress.\n\nPresident Trump \u201cis in the process of crafting a comprehensive action plan including sanctions to pursue reform,\u201d according to Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, who described Nigeria as \u201cground zero,\u201d and the \u201cfocal point of the most brutal and murderous anti-Christian persecution in the world today.\u201d\n\nSmith, a Catholic who chairs the house Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights, mentioned the plan during his Dec. 9 speech at \u201cThe Emergency Summit on Crimes Against Christians,\u201d organized by For the Martyrs, a nonprofit that aids persecuted Christians. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, and Rep. Marlin Stuzman, R-Indiana, also spoke at the event.\n\nRep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, speaks about a sanctions plan to increase pressure on the Nigerian government amid ongoing Christian persecution on Dec. 9, 2025. | Credit: Madalaine Elhabbal/CNA\n\nThe veteran New Jersey congressman praised Trump\u2019s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and affirmed that \u201cReligious freedom will now be at the forefront of the U.S.-Nigeria bilateral relationship.\u201d\n\nThe president can choose from a menu of sanctions for a CPC-designated country under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), ranging from diplomatic measures to economic sanctions. The White House did not immediately reply to a request for comment.\n\nDuring his remarks, Senator Josh Hawley said Nigeria \u201chas recently drawn global attention and has drawn the attention of our own president.\u201d\n\n\u201cI applaud President Trump for standing up for persecuted Christians. I applaud the president for putting Nigeria back on the watch list where it belongs,\u201d Hawley said. The Missouri senator quoted the Book of Revelation while praising Christians persecuted around the world, saying: \u201cThey love not their lives, even unto death.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe see here in the Lord's own word, his testament to the power of the persecuted church,\u201d Hawley said. \u201cThat he says it is those who are persecuted, who are willing to lay down their lives for the Gospel\u2026it is those believers whose blood bears witness to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.\u201d\n\nStutzman, whose district includes Fort Wayne, Indiana, also condemned the persecution of Christians in Nigeria during his remarks, and praised Trump for being \u201cthe strongest president on [religious freedom] since probably Ronald Reagan.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe have a president who's willing to call out those bad guys around the world,\u201d he said. \u201cAt the end of the day, I think this is why it's so important for us as Americans, especially for us as Christians. We are the party of life. We believe life is a gift from God. And so therefore, we should protect it. And we should be asking those folks, What is the threat? What is the threat of Christians in Nigeria to the government, to the leaders in that nation? What is the threat of Christians there?\u201d\n\nTrump has charged Rep. Riley Moore, R-West Virginia, with leading an investigation into persecution in Nigeria.\n\nChina\n\nCongressman Smith went on to highlight religious persecution in China, saying \u201cChinese dictator Xi Jinping\u2019s accelerated and brutal crackdown on believers in China must be exposed and stopped as well.\u201d He highlighted the October raids on home churches by Chinese security agents, saying, \u201cin Xi Jinping\u2019s China, devotion that isn\u2019t Communist Party-approved is treated as a political problem to be solved by police brutality.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe must act with sanctions, especially those prescribed by the International Religious Freedom Act,\u201d Smith said.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=415163"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9043030440807343, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}