Gabrielle Giffords vote.

Gabrielle Giffords vote.

Gabrielle Giffords vote. Gabrielle Giffords made a surprise return to the House floor on Monday to cast her vote to raise the debt ceiling. It was her first appearance in the Capitol since she was shot in the head in January in Tucson, Ariz.Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, entered the House chambers through a side door during the vote. Her arrival prompted applause on the Democratic side of the chamber, which then spread through the House, the Washington Post reported.

A standing ovation lasted throughout the rest of the vote on the compromise measure, the New York Times reported.

In an emotional moment, lawmakers surrounded her and hugged her, according to the Miami Herald. She took a seat in the back and was among the last representatives to vote, casting a "yes" vote, according to Forbes. Giffords left the House chamber walking slowly. Her husband, the astronaut Mark Kelly, accompanied her.

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