Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) reacted on her Twitter account, “Distressed about Shooting of Rep. Giffords. Am sure all members are praying for complete recovery. Please join us in prayer.”

Foxx also spoke with the Winston Salem Journal, saying:

“I don’t think members of Congress incite that kind of rhetoric — I don’t think the things we say incite that kind of behavior. And I don’t know that the things other people say incite it. I just think we have deranged individuals in this country and occasionally they do bad things.

“This guy appears to be a communist. His beliefs are the liberal of the liberals. There is no evidence whatsoever that this man was influenced by Sarah Palin or anybody in the Republican Party. This man is not a conservative; he’s a fan of communism — that’s the opposite of conservatism.

“The members of Congress, we put ourselves out there, and we’re willing to take whatever risk there is, but it is so sad that this involved innocent people. We never want anyone else to be harmed because of our positions.”

Nevertheless, Foxx has used harsh rhetoric before; one example was in tying federal health care reform’s impact on the U.S. to that of terrorism. On Nov. 2, 2009, Foxx said: “I believe we have more to fear from the potential of that [health reform] bill passing than we do from any terrorist right now in any country.”

A number of members of the N.C. Congressional delegation sent out statements.

Rep. Sue Myrick (R) said:

“I am shocked and saddened over the senseless attack on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, her staff and constituents, and over the sad news that this attack has taken the life of US District Court Judge John Roll. We cannot and must not tolerate acts of violence such as these, especially when the victims are working for the good of the American people. My thoughts and prayers are with Rep. Giffords and her family, the family of Judge Roll, and all of the victims and their families during this difficult and tragic time.”

Rep. Larry Kissell (D):

“I am honored to not only call Congresswoman Giffords a colleague, but also a true friend. Her selfless hard work on behalf of the people of her district is a true testament to her dedication to helping others. I ask you to join me in praying for Gabby’s recovery, as well as all of the victims and families that have been touched by this senseless tragedy.”

Rep. Mike McIntyre (D) spoke with the Wilmington Star- News about Giffords and said in a statement that she “is an exceptional public servant whose dedication and determination to serve her constituents, state, and nation are an example for all of us to follow. She is a good friend with whom I have worked closely with on many issues. Our prayers are for her and all affected by this senseless tragedy.”

Sen. Kay Hagan (D) said “Today’s shooting in Arizona is an absolute tragedy. My thoughts and prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords, her family and staff, and the families of those injured and killed.”

Sen. Richard Burr (R) said he is “shocked and deeply saddened to learn about this senseless shooting. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of the victims and families affected by this tragic event.”

That’s what Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) told a Canadian newspaper this weekend on a trip to the country to observe tar sands facilities (h/t The Hill).

Hagan’s comments are sure to cause quite a stir in the environmental community, which has for years been crowing about the greenhouse gas emissions associated with tar sands production. In recent months, environmentalists have set their sights on a massive proposed pipeline that will cut across the United States, raising questions about a safety waiver request by TransCanada, the pipeline owner, to pump oil at higher pressures through the line. TransCanada withdrew the application after the issue of pipeline safety gained more attention in light of a July pipeline burst and resulting oil spill in Michigan.

But Hagan’s comments also raise another important issue: national security. Hagan argues that importing more tar sands from Canada would reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil. Environmentalists counter that tar sands production results in too many greenhouse gas emissions and the country should begin weaning itself off oil altogether.

Update: Hagan spokeswoman Stephanie Allen said though Hagan believes the country needs to import more oil from Canada, the senator also supports renewable energy. According to a written statement from Allen: “Canada is our largest trading partner and provides 20 percent of U.S. oil imports, and Senator Hagan believes we need to continue to grow our trading relationship. Senator Hagan strongly supports investments in renewable energy, and helped make North Carolina the first and only state in the Southeast to require utilities to utilize renewable energy.”

In the meantime, 903,000 unemployment insurance recipients have stopped receiving extended federal benefits. The National Employment Law Project has been blasting out one story a day from an unemployed worker facing poverty due to the joblessness crisis and Congressional inaction. Here’s today’s, from a broadcast radio worker laid off 18 months ago in Birmingham, Mich., the state with the second-highest unemployment rate in the country:

I had a radio show in Detroit for 15 1/2 years. I was let go recently due to budget cuts.  When I found out I was going to be let go, I offered to stay for LESS than one-half my pay but I was told even that was too much to satisfy the budget cuts. A few months later, the company hired me back to do a part-time show paying $15.00 an hour for 25 hours a week. When I found out about this opportunity, I was ecstatic.  Although it wasn’t a full-time job, it was income coming in that my family desperately needed to survive. However, this opportunity soon fell through…I was devastated.

I can’t find another job. I send out hundreds of applications a day, no call backs.  Radio stations use voice tracking, which eliminates the need for real human beings.  The full-timers tape the weekend shows so there aren’t even part-time positions anymore. And to add increased strain on my family life, my husband is now unemployed as well. He has an MBA and worked for years as an engineer.

During these past few years, we’ve lost 2 houses; it’s been awful.  Unemployment insurance has helped keep food on the table when I had no clue where my family’s next meal was going to come from…and without the COBRA subsidy, I would have gone this entire time without health coverage. However, with my COBRA subsidy ending in July, I can’t afford health insurance for myself or my family….it’s too expensive.

The impasse has Democrats incensed. Yesterday, for instance, Democratic Sens. Ben Cardin (Md.), Kay Hagan (N.C.) and Bob Casey (Pa.) led a fiery press conference on the matter. “Continued obstruction in the Senate could lead to 20,000 layoffs in Pennsylvania alone and poses a threat to public safety and schools,” Casey said. “Despite majority support, states around the country are facing harmful real world consequences because a minority of senators are blocking funding.” Democratic Sens. Casey, Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.) argued for immediate passage of the bill on the floor yesterday night. Still, no movement yet. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) hopes to be able to move the bill this week.

But their demands are largely in line with the president’s agenda as he prepares to travel to Copenhagen next week for the international climate negotiations. They include “global agreement on emissions reduction goals,” “reciprocal commitments,” aid to “help the most vulnerable populations adapt” to climate change, and “cost-effective global action.”

The ten principles, the senators write, are designed to “protect against the twin risks of climate change and costly but ineffective climate action.”

The signers of the letter are Democratic Sens. Arlen Specter (Pa.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Carl Levin (Mich.), Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), Tim Johnson (S.D.), Kay Hagan (N.C.), Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) and Mark Begich (Alaska). Most of these senators are expected to support domestic climate legislation if it contains provisions to protect manufacturers from the economic effects of cap-and-trade.

The New York Times obtained a White House response to the letter that underscores the similar perspectives from which he and the senators are approaching the issue of climate change:

The President agrees with many of the Senators’ recommendations and has worked with other world leaders to advance a Copenhagen accord that reflects them. Domestically, the U.S. has taken numerous steps this year to transition to a clean energy economy — from setting an aggressive new fuel economy standard for new cars and trucks to making an historic investment in clean energy in the Recovery Act this year. The President worked closely with Members of Congress as they passed comprehensive energy legislation out of the House and is working with Senators to pass a bill that will decrease our dependence on foreign oil, create jobs and enhance American competitiveness.

In addition to taking strong action at home, the President has kept climate change at the forefront of our foreign policy throughout the year. Following bilateral meetings with China and India, each country announced that they would take significant mitigation actions and stand by those commitments, and they called for full transparency as to their implementation. Since those meetings, China has announced a mitigation plan. And the President has worked with Prime Minister Rasmussen in support of a comprehensive accord in which all countries take meaningful steps, that has immediate operational effect and rallies a global response to the global threat of climate change.

Roll Call (subsription only) points out that the measure has forced an odd political alliance between freshman Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan (N.C.) and a long-time foe.

Not only is she likely to be the only Democrat to oppose the bill, she will also be fighting side by side with Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), who campaigned hard to prevent her election last fall.

“I will not stand idly by while the [Food and Drug Administration] is put in charge of such a critical industry to North Carolina,” said Hagan, who believes the bill amounts to a de facto ban on tobacco products.

To be clear, the bill is not a ban on tobacco products. Instead, it would authorize the FDA to restrict marketing tactics and force tobacco companies to disclose the ingredients in their products. It would also empower the agency to place limits on ingredients found to be harmful, including nicotine.

No doubt that would threaten some jobs in tobacco country. The question is, are they worth protecting an industry estimated to kill 400,000 Americans each year?