The late Charlie Kirk, founder and executive director of Turning Point USA, speaks at the opening of the Turning Point Action conference on July 15, 2023 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House passed a resolution Friday honoring conservative activist Charlie Kirk and condemning his assassination.
The five-page resolution — agreed to 310-58 — lauds Kirk as a “courageous American patriot” whose “commitment to civil discussion and debate stood as a model for young Americans across the political spectrum.”
The resolution divided the lower chamber, as Democratic lawmakers have condemned the assassination of Kirk and violence in politics but have blasted beliefs he voiced.
All 58 votes against the resolution came from Democrats. Ninety-five Democrats voted in favor of the resolution, 38 voted “present” and 22 did not vote.
All 215 Republican votes were in support of the resolution. Four GOP members did not vote.
Tensions emerged in Congress in the days since Kirk was fatally shot Sept. 10 while speaking on a Utah college campus. The resolution also came as President Donald Trump and his administration have sought to crack down on rhetoric surrounding Kirk’s death. Trump, Vice President JD Vance and members of the Cabinet plan to attend a memorial service for Kirk on Sunday in Arizona.
“We passed a resolution to honor the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk, my late friend, the friend of so many in this chamber, and we called out political violence in America,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters in the U.S. Capitol following the vote.
The Louisiana Republican recited the last line of the resolution, which says the House “calls upon all Americans … to reject political violence, recommit to respectful debate, uphold American values, and respect one another as fellow Americans.”
“Sadly, a number of Democrats could not bring themselves to vote for that,” Johnson said. “We have to let everybody make their own judgments about that.”
In a Friday statement, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette Clarke and members of the group said “violence has no place in our politics,” including the killing of Kirk.
“At the same time, we must condemn violence without abandoning our right to speak out against ideas that are inconsistent with our values as Americans,” the New York Democrat and caucus members said, adding that they “strongly disagree with many of the beliefs Charlie Kirk promoted.”
They also described the House resolution as “an attempt to legitimize Kirk’s worldview — a worldview that includes ideas many Americans find racist, harmful, and fundamentally un-American.”
Friday’s passage came a day after the Senate passed a resolution — introduced by Florida GOP Sen. Rick Scott — that designates Oct. 14, 2025, as a “National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk.” There was no roll call vote taken.
Oct. 14 marks Kirk’s birthday.
Ariana Figueroa contributed to this report.