[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 153 (Thursday, September 18, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6709-S6710]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        Remembering Charlie Kirk

  Mr. RICKETTS. Mr. President, 13 years ago, an inspired and patriotic 
18-year-old by the name of Charlie Kirk launched a political 
organization. He wanted to identify, train, and organize students to 
engage in American politics. His dynamism, his tenacity, and his 
convictions helped inspire a generation.
  Charlie Kirk was participating in the very American act of political 
dialogue when he was assassinated. He was a husband, a son, a father--
had two little children--and he was murdered in broad daylight. It is 
horrifying. It is very disheartening not only for me but I know many 
young people.
  Tragically, it is all too common. Charlie Kirk isn't the only 
political figure to be impacted by violence. In recent years, he has 
just been added to the list of people like Congresswoman Gabby 
Giffords, Congressman   Steve Scalise, Minnesota House speaker Melissa 
Hortman, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Supreme Court Justice 
Brett Kavanaugh, and, of course, President Donald Trump.
  No matter our political beliefs, all of us should be able to affirm a 
simple truth: that violence against political figures is unacceptable. 
It is actually anti-American, period. It is an attack upon our very 
values. It is an attack upon our Republic.
  Our level of sympathy should not depend on the political views of the 
person who violence has been perpetrated against. Our level of outrage 
should not depend on the political views of the victim or the 
perpetrator.
  In our great country, we settle disagreements with ballots, not 
bullets. The way to combat speech you don't like is with more speech, 
not less speech. This makes us better, sharper, and more American. That 
is what Charlie Kirk was doing when he was assassinated.
  It might seem unnecessary to say these things in the wake of an 
assassination, but the tragic reality is that not every American 
believes what I just said; not everybody believes these statements are 
true. A recent YouGov poll found that only 72 percent of Americans said 
that political violence is always wrong, and 11 percent said that 
political violence can sometimes be justified. Eleven percent of people 
think that it is justifiable to commit political violence. That number 
shocks the conscience. Let that sink in. The people who believe that 
are siding with the bad guys.
  We must reverse this trend. We must make sure that political violence 
isn't normal, that it is not accepted. Each of us has a role to play in 
that. Each of us can be a part of restoring American civic virtue.
  We need to focus on what we know to be good and true. Let's spend 
more time in prayer. Let's spend more time outdoors rather than on our 
phones or our devices. Let's spend more time getting to know our 
neighbors and investing in our community. Let's relearn civil 
discourse. Civil discourse sharpens our arguments and makes us better, 
and it is better for our communities. It is what makes us human and 
what makes us American. The civil discourse in our great Republic is 
what makes us great.
  There is no time to waste, and we all have a role.
  God bless Charlie Kirk, his wife Erika, and their children. May 
Charlie rest in peace.

[[Page S6710]]

  Now, Mr. President, I would like to say a prayer not just for Charlie 
but for our entire country.

       The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
       He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me 
     beside the still waters.
       He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of 
     righteousness for his name's sake.
       Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of 
     death, I will fear no evil: For thou art with me; thy rod and 
     thy staff they comfort me.
       Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine 
     enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth 
     over.
       Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of 
     my life: And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.