by The House received a bit of inspiration last night as Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz) returned to Washington D.C. for the first time since she was shot in the head and seriously injured in Tucson, Arizona on January 8th.
Giffords Recovers
On that day, Giffords was shot at a shopping mall and was one of 12 who were wounded, while six were killed on that day. She has been recovering since then, first at a Houston rehabilitation center and then, since June, at the Houston home of her husband, astronaut Capt. Mark Kelly.Monday night showed Gifford back in Washington to vote for the debt limit compromise bill. She was greeted with standing ovations and members of the House clapped as she lodged her vote. After the vote (which passed the bill in a 269-161 vote), she was hugged again by members of the House.
Giffords Tweets
Before arriving at the House, Giffords Twitter account said,
“Gabrielle has returned to Washington to support a bipartisan bill to prevent economic crisis.”
This was Giffords first appearance back in Washington since the shooting.
Making Her Voice Heard
As she said in a statement, “I have closely followed the debate over our debt ceiling and have been deeply disappointed at what’s going on in Washington. After weeks of failed debate in Washington, I was pleased to see a solution to this crisis emerge. I strongly believe that crossing the aisle for the good of the American people is more important than party politics. I had to be here for this vote. I could not take the chance that my absence could crash our economy.”
