Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords returned to Washington today and appeared in the U.S. House chamber for the first time since surviving an assassination attempt in January of this year. She was shot in the head while meeting with constituents in her Tucson district.
Just before her appearance on the House floor she tweeted a message to her followers saying "Gabrielle has returned to Washington to support a bipartisan bill to prevent economic crisis. Turn on C-SPAN now."
Rep. Giffords was greeted by her colleagues with a sustained ovation as she cast her vote in favor of the debt ceiling compromise measure.
She later issued a statement saying in part that she had "closely followed the debate over our debt ceiling and have been deeply disappointed at what's going on in Washington..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."
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said on the House floor that Giffords had gone "above and beyond the call of duty" and praised her as a model for women across America.