House, Senate pass ‘National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk’ ahead of memorial service

(ABC NEWS) — Days before a memorial service for Charlie Kirk, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed a “National Day of Remembrance” for the conservative influencer after he was killed on Sept. 10.

The Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a resolution marking Oct. 14, 2025 — Kirk’s birthday — a “National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk.”

While on the Senate floor, Sen. Rick Scott, the Florida Republican leading the passage of the resolution, said he is “proud to have the support of more than 20 of my colleagues to honor Charlie by dedicating his birthday” as this day of remembrance.

“Charlie was a good man — a devout husband, father, and friend. His life was shaped by his faith and the idea that in America, debate and discussion are crucial to the betterment of our country,” Scott said on Thursday.

In the approved resolution, the Senate “recognizes Charlie Kirk for his contributions to civic education and public service” and “encourages educational institutions, civic organizations and citizens across the United States to observe this day.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Thursday that the House of Representative will “soon pass a resolution honoring the life and legacy of our friend Charlie Kirk, and condemning the political violence that led to his untimely passing.”

On Friday, the House also approved the resolution, despite 96 Democrats declining to support it.

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose husband Paul was the victim to political violence himself, was among the 22 Democrats who walked out without voting on the Kirk resolution, but did vote on the short-term government funding bill. Four Republicans also skipped the vote.

“We passed a resolution to honor the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk, my late friend, the friend of so many in this chamber, and we called out political violence in America,” Johnson told reporters following the vote.

The conservative influencer was shot and killed on Sept. 10 while speaking at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

After a two-day manhunt, Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested for allegedly shooting Kirk and charged on Tuesday with a slew of offenses, including aggravated murder, with prosecutors announcing the intent to seek the death penalty.

He was also charged with felony discharge of a firearm causing serious body injury, obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and commission of violent offense in the presence of a child, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announced on Tuesday.

Robinson made his first court appearance on Tuesday. His next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29.

Before he turned himself in to authorities, Robinson’s parents asked him why he committed this crime, to which he allegedly said “there is too much evil and the guy [Charlie Kirk] spreads too much hate,” according to charging documents.

The suspect also allegedly texted his roommate after the shooting that he “had enough of this hatred.”

“Some hate can’t be negotiated out,” one of the messages read, according to the charging documents.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI is investigating “anyone and everyone” involved in a chat on Discord — a group chat messaging platform — where the suspect allegedly sent messages two hours before he was taken into custody, admitting he shot Kirk.

“Hey guys, I have bad news for you all…It was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this,” one of the messages allegedly read.

Patel said there are “a lot more” than 20 people linked to Robinson on Discord and that the FBI is “running them all down. He added that a “number of individuals” are currently being investigated.

Kirk’s memorial service will take place on Sunday in Glendale, Arizona. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and members of the Kirk family are expected to attend.

Erika Kirk, the activist’s widow, is expected to speak on Sunday. On Thursday, she was “unanimously elected” as the new CEO and chair of the board for Turning Point USA, the organization her late husband founded.

The Department of Homeland Security has designated Charlie Kirk’s memorial service as a Special Event Assessment Rating Level 1 event, which is “reserved for events of the highest national significance,” a department official said.

ABC News’ John Parkinson contributed to this report.