Expressing Support for the Designation of October As the ``National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk''

Floor Speech

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Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Florida for bringing this resolution forward and for taking the time to honor a true American patriot Charlie Kirk.

He was a champion for freedom, and he was a role model for millions of young people across our country.

As my colleague had mentioned, he was a devoted husband to Erika and an amazing father to his two children. We offer our condolences to his family.

By adopting my colleague's resolution, this Chamber has an opportunity to honor the legacy that Charlie is leaving. He believed in robust, respectful, bipartisan debate. He encouraged you to challenge your own thoughts and actions; he encouraged you to enter into that debate, to commit to leaving this country in better shape than you found it; and, of course, always giving back more than you took.

We are going to miss him desperately. I join many across the country who are mourning with his family and praying that justice will be served.

I am grateful to have known him personally, spending hours speaking with him at Turning Point USA events and watching how Turning Point has grown, not only into a nationwide but a global movement. He started it when he was 18 years old.

One of the things that always impressed me was how he managed to stay in contact, to offer to help to push issues forward, and to lend a hand no matter how big or small the cause.

Recently, I appreciated hearing from him as I had put some information forward, and he responded immediately on what a good idea this was.

I do want to share just one example of his generosity. One of my grandsons was such a fan of Charlie, and he wanted to start a Turning Point chapter at his school. The school didn't want to have that chapter, so my grandson had to find another way, which he did. I texted Charlie to read him in on the situation, to make him aware. He jumped in to support my grandson and to thank him for the effort.

My grandson said he really felt like Charlie was rooting for him in this situation, and I think that is the way every young person felt when they met him. They felt Charlie was on their side. He wanted the best for them. He wanted to encourage them, to help them think critically through issues that matter to our country.

To any young person mourning his loss, I encourage you to honor Charlie's memory by continuing to support his movement to realize a conservative, prosperous United States of America.

He believed in hard work and smart work, so honor him by working hard, by working smart, by looking for those opportunities to be a leader, to dream those big dreams like Charlie did, and then find a way to make those dreams come true. That is how you honor his life and legacy.

We will not allow his life or legacy to be forgotten, and we will not stop fighting to eradicate the rot of political violence in our Nation that claimed his life.

I yield to my colleague from Alabama.

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