[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 153 (Thursday, September 18, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H4414-H4415]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO CHARLIE KIRK

  (Mr. Langworthy of New York was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to honor 
the life of Charlie Kirk, a husband, a father, a follower of Jesus 
Christ, and a proud American who devoted himself and his life to 
awakening civic courage in a new generation.
  Charlie's faith was central to who he was. He did not shy away from 
declaring it, nor did he compromise it for the sake of convenience or 
applause. He was a proud believer in Jesus Christ. We take comfort 
knowing that today, he is with the Lord.
  Charlie celebrated the Judeo-Christian values on which this Nation 
was founded: faith, family, freedom, responsibility. He reminded us 
that without those values, America would lose the very foundation of 
its strength.
  Charlie built his life's work around inspiring others, especially 
young people, to embrace their responsibilities as American citizens. 
He told them to get involved, learn your history, speak your mind, and 
stand firm in your beliefs. He taught America's college students that 
you could stand up for your values, even if you dared to be a 
conservative on a liberal campus where your beliefs were vilified.
  He told them to flex their First Amendment rights, to debate 
honestly, and to speak boldly, even if professors and campus culture 
declared them wrong for rejecting socialist or Marxist teachings. 
Charlie knew America was the greatest country in the history of the 
world, and he gave students the backbone to defend that truth.
  He made complex issues clear, and he welcomed debate because he 
trusted the American people to recognize truth when they heard it. He 
insisted that free speech was not a partisan slogan but the lifeblood 
of our free society.
  Mr. Speaker, it is impossible to ignore the cruel fact that Charlie's 
life was cut short by a coward who murdered him in cold blood. But let 
me be clear: That act of violence did not silence Charlie's voice. It 
amplified it. Millions and millions of Americans and countless more 
around the world now know what Charlie stood for, what he worked for, 
and ultimately what he died for. His legacy is not diminished by his 
death; it is magnified. The ideas he championed and the courage he 
displayed are now reaching more hearts and minds than they ever have 
before.
  Beyond the public stage, Charlie held the most important roles any of 
us can claim, that of being a husband and a father. He loved his family 
very dearly, and he drew strength from his faith. He reminded us that 
the real work in America doesn't happen in the halls of

[[Page H4415]]

power but at the family dinner table, in our houses of worship, in our 
neighborhoods, and at the ballot box.
  Charlie's life is measured in the legacy he leaves. Look at the 
students who registered to vote because he asked them to. Look at the 
young leaders who chose to serve their communities because he told them 
they were needed. Look at the millions who felt less alone because he 
was brave enough to raise his voice. They had impact. That is real 
impact. That is a life well lived and a mission faithfully pursued.
  To Charlie's wife, Erika, to his beautiful children, and to his 
family: My and my family's deepest condolences and prayers are with 
you. May you be sustained by the prayers of a very grateful nation for 
Charlie's life, and may you take comfort in knowing that Charlie's 
voice echoes louder than ever.
  Charlie Kirk's life is a call to action. Let us honor him not with 
despair but with dedication, dedication to faith, to freedom, and 
dedication to the enduring promise of this great Nation. His courage 
lives on, his message lives on, and his fight for America will always 
live on.

  May God bless Charlie Kirk's memory. May God comfort his family, and 
may God bless the United States of America.

                          ____________________