Claim:
Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation that would put conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s likeness on U.S. currency.
Rating:
Rating: True
Context:
The legislation has not passed as of this writing, but if Congress passed it into law, the limited-edition commemorative silver dollar coins would be issued only in the 2026 calendar year.
Following the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September 2025, a rumor spread online that Republican lawmakers had introduced a bill that would put the Turning Point USA co-founder’s face on U.S. currency.
For example, on Sept. 27, one Instagram page claimed: “According to reports, two House Republicans plan to introduce a bill to mint 400,000 silver dollar coins honoring Charlie Kirk following his assassination earlier this month.”
The claim also spread on X, YouTube and Facebook. Meanwhile, Snopes readers searched the website for “Charlie Kirk currency.”
In short, the proposed bill was real. On Sept. 26, Republican U.S. Rep. Abraham J. Hamadeh of Arizona formally introduced legislation “to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of Charlie Kirk.” At the time of introduction, the legislation had at least 16 additional lawmakers — all Republican — signed on as co-sponsors. Thus, we have rated this claim as true.
However, the legislation had not passed as of this writing. Hamadeh’s office did not immediately return an inquiry asking about the likelihood of the bill becoming law.
The official website for Congressional legislation had not published the bill’s full text as of Sept. 30 (archived). However, Hamadeh provided a copy in a Sept. 26 news release about the commemorative Kirk coin proposal. The bill described Kirk’s work with Turning Point USA and his “tragic death on September 10, 2025” (see Page 2).
Based on the draft, the commemorative silver coins would be worth a dollar each (see Page 4, Line 1), no more than 400,000 would be created and they would be issued only “during the 2026 calendar year” (see Page 5, Line 16), thus making them limited edition.
From Line 13 onward on Page 4, the bill said the front of the coins would “bear the image” of Kirk, while the back would include the words: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” The following words and phrases also would be inscribed: “Charlie James Kirk,” “Liberty,” “In God We Trust,” “United States of America” and “E Pluribus Unum.”
Elsewhere on Page 4, the proposed bill added that the coins “shall be legal tender,” meaning that they could be used as real currency.
However, the Treasury Department’s website noted that commemorative coins in general “are not minted for general circulation.” Instead, they are produced to “celebrate and honor American people, places, events, and institutions.” They also help raise money for various causes through a surcharge on the coins that “goes to organizations and projects that benefit the community.”
Hamadeh’s legislation did not include a surcharge on the Kirk coin.
Past silver dollar commemorative coins have beared the likeness of notable people such as American abolitionist Harriet Tubman, teacher and NASA astronaut Christa McAuliffe and French educator Louis Braille, who invented the braille system of reading and writing for people with visual impairments.
According to Hamadeh’s news release, if Congress enacted the legislation into law, Kirk would be the “youngest individual to ever be immortalized on U.S. currency.”
For further reading, Snopes has addressed numerous claims regarding Kirk following his shooting. For example, we looked into a rumor that Queen Elizabeth II “loved” and took great interest in the conservative activist’s work.
Sources:
“Bald Eagle Commemorative Coins.” Usmint.gov, www.usmint.gov/learn/coins-and-medals/commemorative-coins/bald-eagle. Accessed 29 Sept. 2025.
“Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Silver Dollar.” Usmint.gov, 2021, www.usmint.gov/learn/coins-and-medals/commemorative-coins/christa-mcauliffe. Accessed 29 Sept. 2025.
“Commemorative Coins.” Usmint.gov, www.usmint.gov/learn/coins-and-medals/commemorative-coins.
Hamadeh, Abraham J. “Adobe Acrobat.” Adobe.com, acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:223593dd-9dda-4264-b869-87ab95334ed0?viewer%21megaVerb=group-discover. Accessed 29 Sept. 2025.
—. “H.R.5580 – 119th Congress (2025-2026): To Require the Secretary of the Treasury to Mint Coins in Commemoration of Charlie Kirk.” Congress.gov, 26 Sept. 2025, www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5580?s=1&r=1. Accessed 29 Sept. 2025.
“Harriet Tubman Commemorative Coins.” Usmint.gov, 2024, www.usmint.gov/learn/coins-and-medals/commemorative-coins/harriet-tubman.
“Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar.” Usmint.gov, www.usmint.gov/learn/coins-and-medals/commemorative-coins/louis-braille-bicentennial. Accessed 29 Sept. 2025.
“Support for Congressman Hamadeh’s Bill Honoring the Late Charlie Kirk with Commemorative Coin Grows.” Congressman Abe Hamadeh, 26 Sept. 2025, hamadeh.house.gov/media/press-releases/support-congressman-hamadehs-bill-honoring-late-charlie-kirk-commemorative. Accessed 29 Sept. 2025.
