In his second State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, President Obama outlined his priorities for legislative action and priorities for the American people. He focused on setting a new basis for economic growth and recovery through fostering American competitiveness, calling for innovation in the energy industry, renewed education efforts, and lower federal spending. He also urged Americans to embrace what he called "our generation's Sputnik moment" to spur innovation and creativity just as the Soviet launch of the Sputnik satellite had in the previous century. Sitting as a joint session of Congress, members of different parties sat together to invite a more civil mood and honor Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), who was recovering from a gun shot to the head on January 8, 2011.