Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Resigning From Congress

Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will step down from Congress this week, she announced in a video posted to YouTube Sunday.

"I have more work to do on my recovery, so to do what is best for Arizona I will step down this week," she said.

Giffords' announcement comes almost exactly one year after she survived an assassination attempt during a "Congress on Your Corner" constituent event at a supermarket in Tucson, Ariz. Giffords was shot at point-blank range and the bullet traveled through her brain. Twelve others were injured and six were killed.

In the two-minute video message, Giffords, a Democrat, urged her colleagues to work across party lines.

"I know on the issues we fought for we can change things for the better. Jobs, border security, veterans. We can do so much more by working together," she said.

She continued, "I don't remember much from that horrible day, but I will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice."

First elected to the House of Representatives in 2006, Giffords, 41, vowed to return one day.

"I'm getting better. Every day, my spirit is high. I will return and we will work together for Arizona and this great country," she said.

Giffords' resignation is expected to take effect Monday, the Associated Press reported.

Giffords gave her first TV interview since the shooting in November, seated beside her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly. Shortly thereafter, Fox News Channel's Eric Bolling said he thought it was time for her to step down, arguing that her constituents needed a full-time congressional representative working on their behalf. In the year since the shooting, Giffords' staff has taken over handling constituent issues.