Gillibrand On Giffords Attending Shuttle Launch, Obama Releasing Birth Record

Utica, NY (WIBX) - Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, (D-NY) after a listening session with local farmers, talked about her friend and colleague, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, (D-AZ) who was cleared to attend the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour her husband, Mark Kelly is commanding.

Senator Gillibrand said, "I talked to her husband last week, I'm so excited for her. She apparently is very excited about the trip. She's been looking forward to it for weeks, and it's a big move for her. To go down to Florida to get to see this shows that she's really recovering well and she's a fighter, I can tell you. She spends more hours than you can imagine on speech therapy on physical therapy every single day, so she can get back to her regular self."

Gillibrand says if anyone is going to return to the House floor, it's going to be Congresswoman Giffords. Giffords is still recovering after being shot in the head by suspected shooting, Jared Loughner during a town hall meeting in Tucson Arizona on January 8, of this year. Gillibrand says she will not be at the shuttle launch due to a conflict. Recently, Loughner pleaded not guilty to charges from the attack, that killed six people including an 8-year-old girl, and wounded Giffords and 12 others.

When asked about her thoughts on President Obama releasing a copy of his official birth certificate, Gillibrand said it was never an issue for her. "I have no doubt about our president and where he was born, we know he was born in Hawaii, so it's never been a question for me. I think the president is doing a great job, I think what he's focused on now is the economy, he's focused on how we create jobs, I loved his State Of The Union Address, because it was about this vision for America, it was about competitiveness, and entrepreneurialism, and making it easier for small businesses to grow and that's exactly what New Yorkers want, and exactly what our country needs."