WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords today issued the following statement after joining 179 members of the House in voting against a resolution disapproving of the behavior of U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson during President Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress.
It is unfortunate that Congressman Wilson has not apologized to our colleagues for his rude outburst. He should. Heckling the President of the United States while he is addressing a joint session of Congress is totally unacceptable for a member of this body. The American people know this and Congressman Wilson knows this – that is why he apologized to President Obama. We should not waste any more time on this matter. We need to stay focused on health insurance reform and improving our economy.
Wilson, a Republican from South Carolina, shouted “You lie!” to the president as he explained his proposal to reform the nation’s health insurance system. Giffords was one of a dozen Democrats to oppose the resolution, which was introduced by House leadership.
The resolution passed the House with the votes of 233 Democrats and 7 Republicans. Ten House members did not vote and 5 voted “present.”