Press Releases

Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement on the shooting in Newtown, CT:

"I am stunned and saddened by this horrific shooting. As a father of young children, my heart goes out to the families and friends of all the victims of the attack in Newtown, Connecticut. We must stand together and support this community in the weeks to come as they recover from this tragedy."

On Tuesday, Seven South King County school districts collectively won a $40 million Race to the Top grant from the U.S. Department of Education. This tremendous achievement is the result of a coordinated effort between Auburn, Federal Way, Highline, Kent, Renton, Seattle, and Tukwila school districts and their partnership with the Road Map Project, which is a region-wide effort to bring together community organizations, government, universities, community colleges, school districts and others to advance K-12 student achievement and access to higher education.

House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (WA-09) released the following statement in recognition of World AIDS Day:

"On World AIDS Day, we stand with the millions of people living with HIV and AIDS across the globe, reflect on the progress we have made, and continue to advance the fight against the disease.

Three years ago today, Washington state faced a tragedy when four police officers were shot and killed as they prepared for the day ahead. Investigation later revealed that the individual who murdered the officers was a convicted felon on parole and that relevant information was not effectively transmitted to the proper authorities.

House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (WA-09) released the following statement on escalating violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC):

"I condemn the ongoing violence in Eastern Congo and the March 23 Movement (M23) takeover of Goma. M23 rebels are responsible for war crimes, and countless attacks against innocent women and children. Their actions in Goma and continued ambition to seize cities in the east and across the country stand in violation of international law and could potentially destabilize the region at large.

"Today's ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is a positive step in the right direction toward ending the rocket fire into Israel, which has gone on far too long. I applaud Hillary Clinton, the Obama Administration, and the Egyptian Government for brokering this agreement.

Recently, Congressman George Miller introduced H.R. 6591, the Streamlining and Improving Methods at Polling Locations and Early (SIMPLE) Voting Act, which requires early voting in all states for a minimum of 15 days prior to federal election days. 15 states currently have no forms of early voting.

This legislation would also require that states have the necessary resources to ensure that all precincts are prepared to accommodate anticipated voter turnout and that no one has to wait for more than one hour to vote.