FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The Daily Signal has learned that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has introduced a resolution “honoring the life and legacy” of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on Sept. 10.
The Speaker’s Office confirmed to The Daily Signal that Johnson is leading the effort and that the House will vote on the resolution this week. The resolution describes Kirk as “a courageous American patriot whose life was tragically and unjustly cut short in an act of political violence” and that he “boldly lived out his faith with conviction, courage, and compassion.”
As a husband and father, the resolution continues, Kirk, “exemplif[ied] the virtues of faith, fidelity, and fatherhood.”
Johnson’s move seeks to honor “the life, leadership, and legacy of Charlie Kirk, whose steadfast dedication to the Constitution, civil discourse, and Biblical truth inspired a generation to cherish and defend the blessings of liberty.”
The resolution later elucidates the stakes for the nation and how to respond to this event: “The assassination of Charlie Kirk was not only a heinous act of violence, but a sobering reminder of the growing threat posed by political extremism and hatred in our society.”
Such acts, the speaker’s resolution continues, “are antithetical to the principles of a free republic.” Kirk’s murder “undermines the very fabric of our constitutional democracy and chills the free exchange of ideas essential to a healthy civic society.”
“Leaders at every level—government, education, media, and beyond—must stand united in unequivocal condemnation of political violence, regardless of their ideology,” the resolution states, even as the outpouring of grief for Kirk has been met with hateful celebration of the conservative activist’s murder.
Thus, the resolution calls for the condemnation of the assassination “in the strongest possible terms.”
“The tragic loss of Charlie Kirk must not be allowed to deepen the divides in our nation but instead serve as a turning point to recommit ourselves to better angels, and to the timeless American principles of liberty governed by truth and the virtues of peaceful dialogue,” the resolution added.
On Monday night, Johnson led House Republicans and a handful of Democrats in a memorial vigil for Kirk in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall.
“What we do know about Charlie is that he would not want us to be overcome by despair,” Johnson said at the memorial. “He would want us to carry the message forward, to honor his memory, and to expand the legacy that he left behind.”
Johnson later closed the memorial vigil in a prayer.
Since Kirk’s death, the speaker has participated in several vigils for the slain Kirk, including one in his home state at Louisiana State University and another at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
The resolution also “honors the dedicated law enforcement and emergency personnel for their tireless efforts in finding the suspect responsible for the assassination of Charlie Kirk and urges the administration of swift justice.”
The resolution was added to the list of bills to be considered on the House floor this week after noon on Thursday. Johnson will be looking for co-sponsors, and that number is expected to grow quickly.
