A resolution expressing support for the designation of October 14, 2025, as the "National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk".

Mr. President, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 403, which was submitted earlier today.

I know of no further debate.

I ask unanimous consent that the preamble be agreed to and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, like most Americans, my wife Ann and I are completely heartbroken by the tragic loss of our friend and fellow patriot Charlie Kirk in a despicable, targeted assassination.

This is a devastating loss for his wife Erika and their two precious kids and the millions, including myself, who felt the impact of Charlie's work and were inspired by his devotion to God and his beliefs.

Charlie was a good man, a devout husband, father, and friend. His life was shaped by his faith and idea that in America, debate and discussion are crucial to the betterment of our country. He believed in God, the American dream, the value of family, and the principles of our great Nation.

I talked to Charlie pretty much every week. I did his shows often. I did his show 2 days before the assassination. We talked about that he was going to be going to another college to visit. I have gone to colleges to visit, and it is uplifting. But Charlie would go, and he would take anybody's question and have a conversation with them. He just was the most wonderful person to talk to, and so many people in this country looked up to him.

Charlie dedicated his life to the idea that the power of our ideas cannot only win the day but start a movement. And that is exactly what he did. As the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Turning Point USA, he and his team worked to build thousands of chapters across the Nation dedicated to educating students about the principles of freedom, free markets, and limited government.

Charlie inspired millions of young Americans to be involved in the future of their country and make their voices heard. He traveled to college campuses around the Nation to share ideas and talk about them.

Charlie was never afraid to have a conversation. He didn't care if you agreed or disagreed with his ideas. He welcomed the opportunity to respectfully and peacefully debate ideas in the court of public opinion.

Unfortunately, Charlie was taken from us in a disgusting act of political violence on September 10, 2025, but his legacy lives on. Charlie will long be remembered for his love of God, his family and this great Nation and the impact he had on each and every one of us.

We have the opportunity to carry on his memory by believing in the power of ideas, discussion, and the value of our Nation. As we mourn this massive loss, let us gather together in our communities and pray for his family and our Nation. And let us honor Charlie by believing in the power of our ideas to win the day and leave this Nation a better place.

I am proud to have the support of more than 20 of my colleagues to honor Charlie by dedicating his birthday--October 14, 2025--as ``National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk.''

I want to thank my Senate colleagues for uniting together to honor a great American patriot, a leader and friend.

Charlie will be remembered for the profound impact he had on our lives and our Nation. On October 14, we will gather together as a nation and pay tribute to his great life.

Now I will yield the floor to my colleague from Tennessee.

Mr. President, I come to the floor today to honor my friend and true American patriot Charlie Kirk.

Charlie was one of the most influential people in America. He was an extremely effective teacher--I repeat, a

teacher--of young people. He helped educate millions of young Americans about patriotism and conservative moral values.

His organization, Turning Point USA, is largely credited with President Trump's unprecedented success with young voters in this past election.

But he didn't just reach out to conservative students. He was a champion of free speech for everybody.

Over the past week, I have enjoyed seeing many, many, many videos of Charlie's debates with college students all over our great country.

The first thing you notice when you watch these videos is how brilliant Charlie was. He could beat anyone in a debate and, clearly, had a great career in front of him.

But the second thing you notice about these debates is how kind Charlie was. He never raised his voice. He never said anything hateful. If you looked up the words ``positive attitude'' in the dictionary, Charlie Kirk's name would come up.

I don't know if I could stay as calm as he did while he was talking with some of these confused young students, to be honest with you. But Charlie always rose above it and extended grace, even to the people he disagreed with the most. That was clearly because of his Christian faith, which influenced everything that Charlie did. He was extremely outspoken about Christianity, and I truly believe this is one of the main reasons that he lost his life.

He was also an incredible, devoted father and husband. He talked often about how the most meaningful thing you can do in life is to get married and have kids. What a powerful and much needed message for our young people to hear.

There is so much more I could say about Charlie, but I think the outpouring of love and support after his death speaks for itself. If you notice, there haven't been riots this past week. Businesses have not been forced to board up their windows. Instead, prayer vigils have been held for Charlie not only across the country but around the world. Pews and parking lots were overflowing in churches this past Sunday. I have seen countless social media posts of people saying they purchased their Bibles for the first time this week because of Charlie.

When Charlie was asked how he wanted to be remembered in an interview earlier this year, he said he wanted to be remembered for having courage for his faith. And that is exactly how Charlie is being remembered.

Charlie may have gone home to be with the Lord, but his work here on Earth won't stop.

I am glad to see that Turning Point has had more than 54,000 requests for new chapters at colleges and high schools across the country.

I have a granddaughter Rosie Gracie, and I will absolutely encourage her to get involved in Turning Point when she is just a little bit older.

To Charlie's grieving wife Erika and his two beautiful children, we are praying for you. Just know how grateful we are for Charlie's life and legacy. I will continue fighting every day for the values that Charlie believed in: faith, family, and freedom.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.