Congress Honors Charlie Kirk Amid Partisan Debate

The House and Senate moved this week to honor Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, actions that exposed sharp partisan and intra-party divisions over how to mourn a polarizing public figure. The House on Friday approved a nonbinding resolution honoring Kirk’s life and condemning political violence by a 310 to 58 margin, while the Senate on Sept. 18 passed a simple resolution supporting Oct. 14, 2025, — what would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday — as a National Day of Remembrance.

The House measure, advanced by Speaker Mike Johnson, drew unanimous Republican support and 95 Democratic votes. Fifty-eight Democrats voted no and dozens more were recorded as present or did not vote, a choice some lawmakers said reflected discomfort with language commemorating Kirk’s legacy. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who voted against the measure, condemned political violence but said the resolution “brings great pain to the millions of Americans who endured segregation, Jim Crow, and the legacy of bigotry today.” She and other critics pointed to past controversial remarks by Kirk, including comments about...