The Hill News

Speaker of the House John Boehner announced Thursday that Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) will deliver the weekly Republican address a week after the Arizona shooting that claimed the lives of six and wounded 14.

Aides to Flake said his address will focus only on the Arizona shooting rather than, say, healthcare or the deficit.

“I’m proud on behalf of House Republicans to deliver this address honoring the victims of the shooting in Tucson, Arizona and thanking the heroes who acted selflessly in the face of violence,” said Rep. Flake in a press release.

The focus of Flake's weekly address is the latest gesture among both Democrats and Republicans to create a new atmosphere of unity and more peaceful debate in the aftermath of the shooting that severely wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) among others. On Wednesday, Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) sent a letter to the Democratic and Republican leadership proposing bipartisan seating at Pr! esident Obama's State of the Union address at the end of the month.

In a similar gesture soon after the Saturday shooting, the Republican leadership canceled all votes this week including a vote on repealing the Obama administration's healthcare reform legislation.