Giffords' 'voice will not be diminished'

TUCSON, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' staff will carry on much of her congressional work as she recovers from a grievous brain injury, her district director said.

"Her voice will not be diminished," Ron Barber said in a report in The Washington Post Monday. "We're not as articulate as she is and of course she is a voting member of Congress, but we know what she wants. We know what her vision is, and we are ready to execute it."

Giffords was shot through the brain and six people were killed in a shooting rampage in Tucson Jan. 8. Barber was one of 13 people wounded.

The congresswoman was been moved to a rehabilitation center in Houston where she remained in intensive care with fluid buildup in her brain. When well enough, she will begin rehabilitation for her injuries.

Giffords' colleagues on both sides of the aisle have offered to carry on legislation for her on border security and other issues, said Pia Carusone, her chief of staff.

"There are all these people from both parties that we've been working with over the last four years that we can turn to if needed," Carusone said.

Carusone said staff members for Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, D-Ariz., who represents a neighboring district, have been helping, and several former interns have showed up at her office offering to help.