Congress has unanimously passed a resolution honoring the lives of Minnesota state House DFL Leader Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, and condemning political violence.
The resolution, as introduced by Minnesota’s congressional delegation, honors Rep. Hortman for her “devotion to public service” and extends wishes to Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, for their full recovery. The Hortmans were assassinated at their suburban Minneapolis home on June 14. The Hoffmans were shot in a related attack and continue to recover. A suspect was arrested the next day and charged with murder by federal and state prosecutors.
The resolution calls on community leaders and elected officials to publicly and “unequivocally denounce acts of political violence and for citizens to “reaffirm the commitment … to a safe, civil and peaceful democracy in which violent rhetoric and acts are not tolerated.”
The resolution was unanimously approved by the House on Wednesday and the Senate on Thursday.
It was introduced by Minnesota U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, both Democrats; Minnesota Reps. Kelly Morrison, D, Betty McCollum, D, Tom Emmer, R, Pete Stauber, R, Angie Craig, D, Ilhan Omar, D, Michelle Fischbach, R, and Brad Finstad, R; Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.; Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.; Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; and Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.
Morrison spoke on the House floor Wednesday morning ahead of the vote, saying the shootings should become a “watershed moment” for the country.
“As elected representatives for the people of the United States of America, we have to take responsibility for our roles in this moment,” Morrison said. “As elected leaders, we play a prominent role in setting the tone. … In creating the atmosphere. … In shaping the narrative. … In determining what becomes normalized. And this cannot be normalized.”
The Hortmans and their dog Gilbert, who also died as a result of the shootings, will lie in state at the Minnesota Capitol from noon to 5 p.m. Friday ahead of a private funeral on Saturday.
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