H.RES 719

H.RES. 719: CONDEMN VIOLENCE—AND CHOOSE A LARGER UNION

When a nation is shaken by political murder, the first duty is simple and sacred: condemn the violence—without caveat. H.Res. 719 does that. It condemns the assassination of Charles “Charlie” James Kirk and all forms of political violence, and it honors his life and legacy. On that narrow, essential point, we agree: a free people must reject bullets as a substitute for ballots. 

But resolutions also teach. They become part of the civic record our kids and grandkids inherit. And the question before the House now is bigger than any one figure: What will this resolution teach about how we remember, how we disagree, and how we treat one another when the temperature rises?

WHAT H.RES. 719 SAYS

As introduced on September 16, 2025, the text is straightforward: condemn the assassination; honor Kirk’s life, leadership, and legacy. It does not carry the force of law; it expresses the House’s sentiment and sets a tone. That tone matters.

THE POLITICS AROUND IT—AND THE TRAP TO AVOID

The politics are already swirling. Some Democratic members have urged colleagues to support the resolution to avoid a “trap,” arguing that condemning political violence should be nonnegotiable even when the honoree was sharply polarizing. Others worry that the current framing risks canonizing a figure whose rhetoric often demeaned marginalized communities, turning a condemnation of violence into a partisan cudgel. These tensions are real, and they’re happening in real time on Capitol Hill. 

Meanwhile, across the Capitol, the Senate moved to create a “National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk,” underscoring how this moment is being leveraged to shape broader narratives about free speech, safety, and who counts as fully American.

OUR POSITION (AND WHY)

As a social-welfare organization, Progress for America (PFA.vote) advances policies that strengthen pluralistic democracy. Here’s our stance:

• Amend, then adopt. The House should amend H.Res. 719 so that, alongside condemning violence and memorializing Kirk, it explicitly affirms the equal dignity of the communities he frequently disparaged—LGBTQ+ Americans (including transgender people), Black Americans and civil-rights advocates, women and feminists, immigrants and those who stand with them, educators and students. This doesn’t relitigate ideology; it widens the circle of civic respect. Then pass the resolution. Condemn the violence—and teach the next generation that disagreement is human, but dehumanization is not. (The introduced text can be amended on the floor or via a structured rule.)

• Name the standard we’ll live by next time. Resolutions after political trauma should follow a two-step norm: (a) a clear, universal denunciation of violence, and (b) a reaffirmation of the full civic dignity of those most likely to be demeaned in the surrounding discourse. Do this every time—no matter who is harmed, no matter who is honored.

• Refuse the spiral. We reject efforts—from any quarter—to weaponize grief into permission slips for broader crackdowns, collective blame, or litmus tests of belonging. A resolution that condemns violence and fortifies pluralism lowers the temperature rather than raises it.

WHAT YOU CAN DO (RIGHT NOW)

• Call your Representative and urge an “Amend-and-Adopt” approach to H.Res. 719:
  Add dignity language that explicitly includes groups demeaned in recent rhetoric; then vote yes to condemn political violence.
  You can cite the introduced text on Congress.gov and ask that amendments preserve the core condemnation while expanding civic respect.

• Speak the standard, locally. School boards, councils, and civic groups should adopt parallel norms for statements after political violence: condemn the act; affirm the dignity of those often targeted; recommit to peaceful, plural discourse.

• Model the republic in miniature. In your networks, you don’t have to like someone to defend their right to live, speak, and be safe. That ethic is how citizens—not factions—keep a country.

THE THROUGH-LINE

America is not a choir because we sing the same notes. We are a choir because, in the dissonance, we keep showing up. Amend the resolution to widen the circle. Adopt it to condemn the violence. And then, together, choose the larger Union—again, and again.