Tragic Loss of Charlie Kirk
Floor Speech
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Mr. KILEY of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise at a moment when the Nation is still in shock over the sudden and senseless death, the brutal, barbaric murder, and the cold-blooded assassination of a man beloved by millions.
The depth of this tragedy is hard to process: a life cut short at age 31, a wife left without a husband and two young children without a father.
The tributes that have poured in these last 24 hours from people from all walks of life and all corners of the political universe, the raw grief, and the remarkable eulogies bear testament to a life of generational importance, a life cruelly limited in years but immeasurable in impact.
I offer my own heartfelt prayers along with hundreds of millions of others in this country and around the world. As we pray for Charlie and his loved ones, so too do I pray for our country.
We are in a perilous moment. We don't yet have all the facts about yesterday's horrifying events, and the killer remains at large. What we do know is that political division has continued to deepen in this country and that political violence is on the rise.
With a loss this profound, with evil this glaring, and with so much pain, suffering, anger, and fear, this cycle could escalate. A new, more severe round of accusations and recriminations, of demonization and dehumanization, could bring our politics and society to a darker place.
That isn't where things have to go. This can also be an occasion for soul-searching as a country. As all decent people condemn this horrifying act of political violence, we can be reminded of the broader swath of common ground that we share. It is a belief that political differences should be resolved through dialogue, debate, and elections, not force. It is a commitment to the founding ideals of our country, however differently we might conceive of them at any given moment, that all men and women are created equal and are endowed by their creator with inalienable rights.
More basically, we all want to see our economy thrive, our communities safe, and our families happy and healthy.
The last time we truly came together around our shared ideals and aspirations in a sustained way and stood solidly together on the common ground of our body politic was 24 years ago today. The tragedy of September 11 crystallized America's transcendent values in a way that made every degree of difference seem trifling.
We were all Americans then, and still today, we are all Americans. I don't believe that the generation that has passed since 9/11 has depleted our ability to come together as a country, and I don't believe that an attack on the homeland is the only thing that can rekindle it. At this moment, working to rediscover that capacity for unity is a matter of the highest urgency to our Nation's future.
A simple thing we can all do: If you have a friend or family member whom you have stopped talking to because of political differences, this might be a good time to reach out and to say that we are still friends and still family. Politics isn't everything, and politics itself, when properly conducted, can foster friendship and build community even among ideological opponents.
That is what Charlie Kirk devoted his life to. He brought people of all perspectives together to talk to one another, to have a vigorous exchange of ideas, to discuss how best we can fulfill America's promise, and to participate in democracy.
Charlie Kirk's example shows that when you are willing to have conversations, Mr. Speaker, you often learn things. You may not be persuaded by your opponents, but you can appreciate their perspective, see where they are coming from, see them as people, discover surprising points of agreement, and gain a more nuanced understanding of your own position by understanding theirs.
That is something we can all try to do better, especially those of us in elected office.
I ask every Member of this House, myself included, to think hard about how we can approach our work here with a greater spirit of collegiality and conciliation. In this terrible moment, that has to be the path forward for our country.
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