Gabrielle Giffords Returns To DC To Vote In Passage Of Debt Bill - New York Post

WASHINGTON -- Cheers and applause broke out on the House floor Monday evening as Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) returned to Washington, D.C. to vote for the debt limit compromise bill, which the House of Representatives passed in a 269-161 vote.

There was a standing ovation as she arrived in the House and members began clapping again as she lodged her vote. She was hugged by a number of her fellow members after the vote, many of whom were crying.

AP

In this image from House Television, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., appears on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Shortly beforehand, her Twitter account announced, "Gabrielle has returned to Washington to support a bipartisan bill to prevent economic crisis."

Giffords, 41, was seriously injured in a shooting rampage in Tucson, Ariz., on Jan. 8 that killed six and left the lawmaker plus 12 others wounded.

It was Giffords' first return to the nation's capital since the shooting and first vote she has cast since that event.

"I have closely followed the debate over our debt ceiling and have been deeply disappointed at what's going on in Washington," Giffords said in a statement.

"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."

The bill was passed in a 269-161 vote.

Giffords was released from a Houston rehabilitation center in June and since then has been recovering at the Houston home of her husband, astronaut Capt. Mark Kelly.

"The vote taking place today is the single most important vote taken this year by the House of Representatives. The congresswoman insisted on participating," Giffords' spokesman C.J. Karamargin told Tucson Weekly.

"Congresswoman Giffords has been following this debate closely over the past two weeks.

"Like the vast majority of Americans, she is extremely disappointed at Washington's inability to confront the debt ceiling issue in a timely and thoughtful manner."

Jared Lee Loughner was charged over the Tucson shooting spree and, if convicted, could face the death penalty.

But Loughner's trial is on hold after US District Court Judge Larry Burns, who is overseeing the Arizona proceedings, declared him incompetent to stand trial in May.

Nancy Pelosi 'Absolutely' Voting Yes On Debt Ceiling Deal Despite Drawbacks - ABC News

With the House poised for a nail-biting vote to raise the debt ceiling and avoid a U.S. default, Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi both voiced confidence the bill can pass, despite significant public opposition from within their parties.

In an interview with ABC News' Diane Sawyer, Pelosi said she will "absolutely" vote yes on the compromise package, even though she agreed with one colleague who called it a "Satan sandwich."

"It probably is – with some Satan fries on the side," Pelosi said.

Still, Pelosi said she's supporting the deal – and believes a sufficient number of House Democrats will follow suit – because it meets three key criteria: it extends the debt limit for 18 months without any cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid, and it establishes a balance of cuts between discretionary spending and defense.

Republican aides said Pelosi will need to secure at least 70 Democratic votes for the bill to pass – an outcome that is far from certain. "Where they have their comfort level, that's where they'll vote," she said of her colleagues.

But when asked if it will be necessary for President Obama to come to Capitol Hill to urge Democrats to vote yes, Pelosi said, "that won't be necessary."

"We have to get this over with," Pelosi told Sawyer. "We have to get to work putting people back to work. We've got to get on with job creation. Every day we were stuck on this negotiation we weren't doing everything in our power to create jobs. So that's where we have to go."

In an earlier interview with Sawyer, Speaker Boehner signaled he's confident the bill will pass even though many Republicans fundamentally oppose an increase in the debt ceiling, or one without simultaneous passage of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.

"We got there, but we got to get the bill passed and I think we will. But so far so good," Boehner told Sawyer.

"I understand that some people want more. I'd like to do more. It's not perfect," he said, "but it is a good step in the right direction."

After the vote, which could come as early as tonight, where does the speaker expect to be tomorrow morning?

"Hopefully hiding somewhere," he said.