Alan Grayson

Alan Grayson

Template:TOCnestleft Alan Grayson is an attorney and a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the 9th district of Florida.

After losing his re-election bid in 2010, Grayson won election back to Congress on November 6, 2012.

Congressional Progressive Caucus

As of February 20 2009 Alan Grayson was listed as a Vice Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Planned Parenthood

Grayson received $5000 in lobbying funds from Planned Parenthood in 2008.

Supported by Council for a Livable World

The Council for a Livable World, founded in 1962 by long-time socialist activist and alleged Soviet agent, Leo Szilard, is a non-profit advocacy organization that seeks to "reduce the danger of nuclear weapons and increase national security", primarily through supporting progressive, congressional candidates who support their policies. The Council supported Alan Grayson in his successful 2008 House of Representatives run as candidate for Florida. He has also been previously supported by the Council.

Background

Alan Grayson came from humble beginnings, as a native from Bronx, New York; he grew up in the tenements. He worked his way through Harvard University, graduating with high honors. Immediately following his undergraduate career, he enrolled in Harvard Law School where he again graduated with honors.

As an attorney he focused on contract law. In 1986 he helped to found the Alliance for Aging Research , serving as an officer of the organization for more than twenty years.

Congressman Grayson was also the first President of IDT Corporation, a publicly traded billion-dollar telecommunications company.

In the 2000s he worked as a plaintiffs’ attorney specializing in whistleblower fraud cases aimed at Iraq war contractors.

Career

In 1983, Grayson was employed as a law clerk at the Colorado Supreme Court.

From 1984-5, Grayson worked at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, where he worked with such judges as Abner Mikva, Robert Bork, as well as two judges, namely Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia, who both later joined the U.S. Supreme Court.

Grayson was an associate at the Washington D.C. firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and Jacobson for five years, where he specialized in contract law.

Fighting corruption

With bachelor’s, master’s, and law degrees from Harvard, Grayson worked for five years with a major law firm in Washington, DC, before going on to found IDT Corporation, a successful telecommunications discount services provider. In 1991 he founded and became a principal of the Grayson & Kubli, P.C. law firm. According to the Grayson & Kubli web site, the firm specializes in the areas of bid protests, false claims actions, audits and debarment. It is in this area where Grayson has made a name for himself.

Grayson has been outraged by the corruption of the so-called defense contractors, and has done far more than anyone else to call them to account. Testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Grayson said “In a free fire zone you can shoot anything. In a free-fraud zone, you can steal anything.” Grayson has filed a number of suits against contractor abuse and fraud in Iraq, most of which remain bottled up in court. A profile of Grayson by Yochi J. Dreazen in the Wall Street Journal estimated there are 50 such cases backlogged, including major contractors such as Kellogg, Brown, and Root.

Correspondent Matt Renner, writing for Truthout.org, quoted Grayson as saying, “The war has been going on now for five years. [the Department of Justice] is not litigating a single case of contractor fraud against any contractor in Iraq. They have swept the whole thing under the rug. They’re either stupid or they’re liars and I tend to think it is the latter. We have an administration that is only good at managing news and nothing else.”

Grayson has done well with the cases he’s managed to bring to light so far. In what was described by Charles R. Babcock of the Washington Post as “the first civil fraud verdict arising from the war effort,” Grayson represented two plaintiffs who sued the contractor Custer-Battles under the U.S. False Claims Act for using Cayman Island front companies to shortchange the government on a contract to provide new Iraqi currency in 2003. In this case the jury held the firm liable for $10 million in damages.

According to Richard Burnett in the Orlando Sentinel, Grayson is representing a whistleblower who has charged Northrop Grumman with inflating costs to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars in its Joint STARS radar aircraft program.

Not only has Grayson testified before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, as noted above, he and his lawsuits have been profiled in a number of major media outlets, including CBS News, the Orlando Sentinel, Rolling Stone ,Vanity Fair, and the Wall Street Journal. Along with three others, Grayson is featured on the Robert Greenwald DVD “Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers.” There are several additional videos in which Grayson has appeared.

Grayson is not only opposed to contractor fraud in Iraq, he is seriously against the war. Dreazen labeled him a “fierce critic of the war in Iraq [who] drives an aging Cadillac emblazoned with antiadministration bumper stickers.” Grayson has taken his case both to the courtrooms and the classroom: on March 20th he participated in a teach-in about the war as part of a day-long protest organized by students at the University of Central Florida. He has turned out in the streets to join anti-war protests. But he is not a single-issue candidate, he has a well-rounded progressive platform.

Other issues on which he has taken stands include energy, health care, education, and the environment, among others. He blames the Republicans in Congress for giving Big Oil tax breaks and allowing them to gouge consumers at the gas pumps. He opposes off-shore drilling and favors clean and renewable energy sources. He is concerned about health care, although he doesn’t do enough to advocate a specific plan such as single-payer. He has an environmental plank, advocating that the U.S. sign the Kyoto Protocol, adopt a renewable electricity standard, and biodegradable packaging. His memberships include the Sierra Club and other environmental groups..

CODE PINK

Grayson with CODE PINK, Central Florida, February 15, 2008

War Is Making You Poor Act

In combination with fellow House of Representatives members including Ron Paul, Walter B. Jones, Dennis Kucinich, Lynn Woolsey, Barbara Lee, and John Conyers, Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) on May 21st 2010, introduced a bill entitled “The War Is Making You Poor Act.” If passed, this legislation would stop funding for the wars against Iraq and Afghanistan and use those revenues to eliminate federal taxes on the the first $35,000 of income, or $70,000 for couples.

America's Future Now!

Alan Grayson was one of the 148 speakers who addressed the 2010 America's Future Now Conference.

21st Century Democrats support

21st Century Democrats is a Political Action Committee that has stood for Progressive causes for over 20 years. Founded in 1986 by Institute for Policy Studies affiliate, Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, Democratic Socialists of America affiliates, former Texas Agriculture Secretary Jim Hightower, and former Illinois Congressman Lane Evans. Its three main goals are to help elect progressive candidates, train young people about grassroots organizing, and lastly, to continue to support our elected officials after Election Day "through our comprehensive progressive network".

Carol Moseley Braun, a former US Senator from Illinois, and long time Communist Party USA affiliate, serves on the organization's Advisory Board. Long time Board chair was Democratic Socialists of America member Jim Scheibel, a former Mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota.

The mission of 21st Century Democrats is to build a "farm team" of progressive populists who will be the future leaders of the Democratic Party.

In each election cycle, we endorse a diverse array of candidates who exemplify our values and show unusual promise to advance our progressive goals. We invest in some of the most competitive races as well as in some of the most challenging – those in which the candidat

es are outstanding but the traditional Democratic supporters are most reticent. We back candidates in primaries as well as general election races, and we focus the bulk of our resources on electing challengers and protecting vulnerable incumbents.

Grayson was one of 12 key progressives endorsed by 21st Century Democrats in the 2012 election cycle.

He was one of 17 supported in 2010.

PDA connection

Hightower on Grayson

Jim Hightower said, "PDA and I have been boot-stomping for weeks, starting with PDA's 'Progressive Central' in Charlotte during the DNC, and even riding down to Orlando, last week, where we stood with our best Florida agitator, Alan Grayson who is now a good bet to win a congressional seat there. And PDA has been in Michigan and Illinois to make house calls on behalf of Dr. Syed Taj and Dr. David Gill, two more great progressive champions who can win."

Progressive Democrats of America endorsement

In 2012, Alan Grayson was one of 14 leftist Congressional and Senate candidates endorsed by Progressive Democrats of America, an organization dominated by members or affiliates of Democratic Socialists of America and the Institute for Policy Studies.

PDA phonebankers

From November 1, 2012, through Election Day, Progressive Democrats of America's Phone Bank director Mike Fox organized volunteers across the USA making GOTV calls for progressive candidates including Dr. Ami Bera--a Medicare for All medical doctor running against 4-term incumbent Dan Lungren in California's 7th District and Alan Grayson--former Congressman running in Florida's 9th District, as well as Dr. David Gill, and Dr. Syed Taj.

NNU and PDA

Wrote Michael Lighty, Director of Public Policy National Nurses United and Progressive Democrats of America Advisory Board Member;

The RNs of NNU have found a natural alliance with , who |never slow in the fight against austerity to win prosperity for all. RNs and PDA activists joined in campaigns across the country for insurgent progressives like Elizabeth Warren, now Senator-elect from Massachusetts, Medicare for All supporter Ami Bera, soon to be Congressman from California, and Alan Grayson returning to the people’s House from Florida."

PDA "hit its stride", phonebanking

In 2012, PDA hit its stride electorally as well helping its National Board Members Congress members John Conyers (D-MI.), Donna Edwards (D-MD.), Keith Ellison (D-MN.), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ.), James McGovern (D-MA.) and Barbara Lee (D-CA.) sweep to victory.

Other PDA-endorsed winners included Congress members Mark Pocan (D-WI.), Alan Grayson (D-FL.), and Senator Elizabeth Warren, (D-MA.). PDA generated 1000s of Get Out the Vote calls for the above candidates, as well as for newly-elected Ami Bera (D-CA.)

Hosting PDA

According to a New Year 2013 press release from Progressive Democrats of America;

Progressive Democrats of America accomplished a lot in 2012--thanks to your help and support. Together, we helped defeat Tea Party extremists and helped elect strong progressives to Congress. We educated members of Congress every month in our home districts, and in the halls of Congress in Washington, DC. Now, PDA is starting 2013 in a big way!

In just a few days, on January 3rd, our team will be on Capitol Hill as special guests of our newly elected and re-elected progressive candidates including our board members our friends Representatives Alan Grayson, Dr. Ami Bera, and Mark Pocan; as well as newly-elected Senators Tammy Baldwin and Elizabeth Warren. If you're going to be in the DC-area, join us for these exciting swearing in ceremonies, and help us pass out leaflets for our exciting January 19th events!

Orlando rally

Three Orlando-area actions were just a few of the hundreds held around the country on Nov. 10, 2012, and organized by groups ranging from the AFL-CIO to Moveon.org.

A late afternoon rally and protest at an Orlando senior center was organized by the Florida AFL-CIO and The Action, which "uses grassroots power to build support for Obama's agenda".

"We support the plan of the president, and that is to cut taxes for middle-class and lower-income individuals, but raise to a fair share [the taxes] that the upper two percent should be paying," said Jasmine Burney, a field organizer with The Action.

Rep.-elect Alan Grayson, D-Fla., told the crowd at the senior center--many of whom held signs saying "NO MORE TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH"--that on a recent TV appearance he had been asked to explain the so-called fiscal cliff.

"I said these words: 'It's an artificial crisis to steal from the middle class.' The fiscal cliff itself does nothing on its own to Social Security and Medicare, but it's being used as a smokescreen to hurt [those programs] and us," said Grayson.

Medicare spending has grown, but that is not a justification for cuts to the program since it still operates at a surplus, and will do so for at least another decade, said Grayson.

"There's no reason to cut it except for the fact that the greedy want more," he said. "The greedy want to be able to avoid the tax increases that would put the economy back on a steady level and get some way toward paying down the debt."

Grayson noted that former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney had only paid 14 percent of his income in taxes while middle-class Americans pay up to 35 percent.

"The rich should pay at least as much as the middle class--that would be a good start," said Grayson, who also suggested that it was time for the U.S. to get out of Afghanistan and use the money that would have been spent there to rebuild roads and schools at home.

OURWalmart action

Walmart workers and labor and community allies held a protest at an east Orlando Walmart on Nov. 23, 2012. (Black Friday). The action was one of hundreds organized around the country by OURWalmart--on the biggest shopping day of the year--to press the retail giant for "better wages, working conditions, an end to retaliation and intimidation of its workers, and respect from bosses."

OURWalmart is the Organization United for Respect at Walmart, a project of the United Food and Commercial Workers, with members in 700 Walmart stores in 42 states.

U.S. Rep.-elect Alan Grayson, D-Orlando, joined the protestors for the bus ride to the Walmart. Many of those who marched to the store entrance had tape over their mouths to symbolize attempts by Walmart to intimidate and silence workers who speak out about their treatment at the company's 4,600 stores in the U.S.

Rep. Grayson told the protestors that it's possible for working people to have living wages, paid sick leave, health coverage, paid vacations and pensions. He also called upon Walmart to give all its employees a 30 percent pay raise, noting that the company would still be extremely profitable.

"It all comes down to one thing: organization. The people have to exercise their right to organize--that's what it comes down to, and when that does happen, we win, because the people united will never be defeated," Rep. Grayson said, prompting cheering and chanting from the crowd.

Denise Diaz, director of Central Florida Jobs with Justice participated, as did Angela Williamson, 42, an OURWalt organizer with the UFCW, and Communist Party USA member Ben Markeson.

Other unions and groups with a presence at the Black Friday action included AFSCME, IUPAT, Industrial Workers of the World, SLAP, Alliance for Retired Americans, Orlando Food Not Bombs and Occupy Orlando. State Rep. Victor Torres, D-Orlando, a member of the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 1596, also attended.

OURWalmart organized a dinner Thanksgiving night (Nov. 22) at an Orlando-area store, handing out food (provided by the local AFL-CIO Central Labor Council) to 30 Walmart workers. Rep. Grayson also attended this action and walked out with Lisa Lopez, a store worker and new OURWalmart member.

Cancel the Sequester Act

In early March 2013, Rep. John Conyers introduced the Cancel the Sequester Act (HR 900). Rep. Alan Grayson sent out an appeal for a quarter million individual signers.

More than 500 mostly Latino and Haitian immigrants, their families, brothers and sisters from organized labor, and community allies rallied here at a church in southwest Orange County (the home of Disney World) on May Day, 2013.

They celebrated workers by calling for comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to citizenship for the undocumented, and an end to the deportations of the undocumented that have torn apart so many immigrant families along with a path to family reunification.

Immigration forum

The Asociación Boriqueña de la Florida Central (Puerto Rican Association of Central Florida) hosted United States House Representatives Alan Grayson and Luis Gutierrez (a long time immigrant rights supporter) on Friday March 1, 2013 at 11:30 am, for the “Time is Now for Immigration Reform Panel and Press Conference.”

After the conference, the politicians, the panel, and others in the audience left for Haines City to have lunch and to talk with farm workers. This event brought media such as Univision, Telemundo, and local Fox Channel 13. There were between 200 to 250 audience members.

The NFWM/YAYA members in attendance were Nico Gumbs, Emily Helm, Melissa Maniau, Ana Maria de la Rosa, and Miguel Rodriguez. Melissa was also a panelist and eloquently spoke of her own family’s dealings with immigration authorities, because her husband is an undocumented immigrant.

​Representative Alan Grayson unequivocally called Arizona’s anti-immigrant law “racist” several times. He is determined to make a national immigration reform law so the Arizona law could never exist anywhere in this country. Representative Gutierrez was equally adamant, and added that a new immigration reform law must also include the ability to bring immediate family members into this country and to keep the family unit together.

Orlando Immigration rally

A broad range of representatives from immigrant and farm worker groups, labor, the faith-based community, and allied groups addressed the crowd from a podium behind which hung a large banner that read, "RIGHT TO WORK--RIGHT TO LIVE--RIGHT TO STAY TOGETHER." U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., was the final speaker; he was preceded by a representative of U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., who shared a message from the congressman with the pumped-up crowd.

One of the largest contingents at the event came from Unite Here Locals 737 and 362, which represent 19,000 hospitality and tourism workers in central Florida, including many who are immigrants. Other sponsors included the Florida AFL-CIO, SEIU, AFSCME, LCLAA, Mi Familia Vota, the Student Labor Action Project at the University of Central Florida, and Orlando YAYA (Youth and Young Adult Network of the National Farmworker Ministry).

"We are all workers here, and we are all one," said Angela McKinnon, an organizer with Unite Here 737.

McKinnon told the rally that her experiences as a worker and union leader at Disney had taught her about the exploitation and other problems faced by immigrant workers, and the sense of powerlessness they felt because of their status. Her awareness of the similarities in the struggles faced by African Americans and immigrants was also shaped by her background as the daughter of parents who harvested citrus, McKinnon said.

"We've got to all come together to make these companies respect us as human beings, not as immigrants and non-immigrants," she said. "This country was built by slaves and by immigrants from all around the world. It's time for us to stop fighting against each other, and let's fight together for what's right."

Tirso Moreno, general coordinator of the Farmworker Association of Florida, urged the audience to commit to fight until all immigrant workers "have the right to work, have the right to stay here, have the right to support their families, have the right to be together with their families."

In a videotaped speech, Rep. Gutierrez, who kicked off a nationwide tour for immigration reform in Orlando on March 1, said people across the U.S. were marking May 1 and continuing efforts to stop deportation of the undocumented, pending passage of comprehensive immigration reform.

Gutierrez, a leading progressive voice in the House on immigration reform, said he was "filled with optimism" about the passage of such legislation this year, noting that progress was being made in both chambers of Congress.

The bill, said Gutierrez, would include increased border security measures, "a broad legalization program" for the undocumented, "a faster path to citizenship" for Dreamers and a mandatory worker verification system. It will, he said, command support from both Democrats and Republicans who know that Americans want "real solutions" to the country's immigration issues.

Immigrants, labor and other progressive forces must keep up the pressure on both parties to pass a bill this year, said Gutierrez. "We have to keep moving forward," he said. "Our message [to Congress] must be clear--don't slow down, don't get distracted, don't try any excuses."

"If we work together this year, millions of Americans and those who want to work and live here will see the benefits of immigration reform," Gutierrez said.

Grayson related the story of his grandmother who emigrated to the U.S. from Austria-Hungary, 112 years ago, at the age of 14. Although she was penniless, illiterate and had no job skills, Grayson noted that she still had been welcomed to America. "If that was true for her than why not you?" he asked the crowd to applause. "Why not you? Why not you?"

At stake in the fight for immigration reform, said Grayson, is the American Dream--"the possibility to be all you can be"--regardless of race, age, language or immigration status. Our society should welcome all immigrants-- "Americans by choice" who "love this country," he said.

"You may think that you're alone. You may think that there's no one to support you, you may think that the situation is hopeless," Grayson said, "but remember [that] the undocumented are 11 million strong, and behind them is the Latino community in America, 50 million strong, and behind them is the community of people with a conscience, 200 million strong--and that's why we will win."

Denise Diaz, director of Central Florida Jobs with Justice, and a Communist Party USA affiliate, emceed the event.

'Restore the Fourth' Rally in D.C.

On July 4th, 2013, representatives of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, joined "concerned citizens" in Washington, D.C., to demand the protection of Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures.

The event is part of a nationwide movement called Restore the Fourth. Rallies will take place in 81 cities and towns across the country to voice concerns about recent revelations of domestic spying.

Location: McPherson Square, Washington, D.C. Time: Noon - 2 p.m.

Endorsed by: StopWatching.Us, Demand Progress, Bill of Rights Defense Committee, Institute for Policy Studies, National Lawyers Guild, Get FISA Right, Washington Peace Center, Montgomery County Civil Rights Commission, Defending Dissent, Council on American-Islamic Relations, CAIR-MD.

Speakers: Senator Rand Paul (R-KY, recorded video); Governor Gary Johnson (L, recorded video); Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL, recorded video); Carla Howell, Libertarian Party President; Thomas Drake, former senior executive of the NSA and whistleblower; Craig Aaron, president and CEO of Free Press; Robert McCaw, CAIR Government Affairs Manager; representatives of CAIR-MD.

Endorsing Sciortino

Dennis Kucinich, a former Democratic Congressman from Ohio who had been one of the House’s most left-wing members, endorsed Massachusetts State Rep. Carl Sciortino in the 5th District congressional race, October 2013.

“The people of this district have a real opportunity to elect not just a worthy successor to Sen. (Edward) Markey but someone who’s been tested in the Massachusetts legislature on a wide range of social and economic issues, which resonate at a national level,” Kucinich said on a conference call sponsored by the Progressive Democrats of America.

Sciortino was not on the call.

Sciortino has been getting help nationally from progressive organizations and politicians. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee endorsed him and raised $21,000 for him from its supporters, according to the group. U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, a Florida Democrat, and U.S. Rep. Mark Takano, a California Democrat, both leaders among progressives in Congress, have endorsed Sciortino.

"Exemplary" progressive lawmaker

At the 2013 Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism conference, Jay Jurie said that he lived in Florida near Congressman Alan Grayson, whom he called “exemplary” as a progressive lawmaker.

Communist Party connections

Patrick Foote on staff

Patrick Foote, later an identified member of the Communist Party USA, served as field organizer for the Committee to Elect Alan Grayson in 2012.

Honored Denise Diaz

In October 2013, Grayson honored Florida Communist Party USA speakers bureau member Denise Diaz;

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, to recognize a hardworking community organizer, civil rights activist, and working mother of two.

Originally from Puerto Rico, Denise Diaz's parents raised her and her brother on the northwest side of Chicago. Her parents worked hard in the airline catering industry to provide a better life for their children. As union members, they instilled Denise with a strong sense of collective action and a passion for justice.

Denise Diaz received her BA in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her activism began in organizing on the South Side of Chicago. She later became a tenant rights organizer in immigrant communities outside of Washington, D.C.

In 2007, Denise moved to Central Florida to raise her two children and continue community organizing on workers' rights issues. Denise can often be seen picketing in front of major employers, meeting with workers, and leading community events with the support of her husband Mark and her two children, Zoe and Zion.

For over five years, Denise has served as the Executive Director of Central Florida Jobs with Justice. She is also a National Jobs with Justice board member and a board member of the Florida Institute for Reform and Empowerment (FIRE).

Denise's work with the Central Florida Jobs with Justice, a coalition of unions, community based groups, faith based and student groups that work together on economic justice campaigns, has empowered and improved the lives of working families in Orlando.

I am happy to honor Denise Diaz, during Hispanic Heritage Month, for her incredible accomplishments on behalf of the working families in Central Florida.Recognizing Jose F. Mendez for 40 Years of Expanding Educational Opportunities

Staff

The following have worked as staff members for Alan Grayson:

• Thomas Edward Anfinson
• Susan Anfinson
• Thomas Elmer Anfinson
• David R. Bagby
• Nelson Betancourt
• Andrew L. Black
• Debra M. Booth
• Susan G. Clary
• Bonnie Benn Fratter
• J. William Goold
• Todd Alan Jurkowski
• Susanna M. Lindberg
• Juan Lopez
• Aysha R. House Moshi
• Jeanette S. Netwal
• Tyler Norkus
• Kathleen A. Ralls
• Ronita M. Sanders
• Miriam P. Saunders
• David A. Schuld
• Faisal Siddiqui
• Emily B. Sneider
• Michael J. Steimle
• Matthew Stoller
• Bryan R. Stutts
• Rachel S. Swartz
• Julie S. Tagen
• Darren R. Vierday

External links

• Grayson's website with the House of Representatives

References

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