Indivisible, a left-leaning organization known for its involvement in town hall protests in red districts, has initiated a "reimbursement program" to support local activists in their opposition to what they term the "Trump-Musk coup."
The program covers a variety of expenses, including the cost of "chicken suits," as revealed by Indivisible's co-executive director.
According to The Washington Free Beacon, the program's webpage outlines that local Indivisible chapters can receive up to $200 per congressional recess. This funding can be used to cover protest-related expenses such as audio and video equipment, signage, promotional materials, and even fuel.
In instances where lawmakers opt out of holding town halls during the upcoming recess, Indivisible encourages local activists to organize their own events. The organization is even willing to cover the cost of "cardboard depictions of your Member of Congress" and "chicken suits."
"We reimburse for chicken suits!!!" exclaimed Indivisible co-executive director Leah Greenberg on Bluesky. When questioned by a follower about whether Indivisible would ship the suits to members, Greenberg responded, "Historically we've mostly just sent people money to buy their own, butstay tuned for March recess."
The reimbursement process involves submitting receipts, after which local Indivisible members receive the funds either through direct deposit or a mailed check. If the $200 limit proves insufficient, activists are encouraged to contact Indivisible for additional support. However, this issue is unlikely to arise in the case of chicken costumes, which can be purchased for as little as $30 on Amazon from a Chinese retailer, Hainan Chong Yu Industrial Co. It's worth noting that this company has previously faced U.S. recalls due to non-compliance with flammability standards.
The reimbursement program, which is set to run until December, indicates Indivisible's long-term commitment to sustaining the red-district protests that garnered significant media attention during last month's House recess. The New York Times cited these protests as evidence of a "broader backlash" against Musk's attempts to cut government spending, but failed to acknowledge Indivisible's role in their organization.
Following the protests, Indivisible reached out to Democratic congressional offices, informing them of similar demonstrations planned for the upcoming March recess. The group's message highlighted their efforts to "put Republicans on notice by organizing nearly 200 events across the country and directly challenging them for supporting unelected billionaires like Elon Musk." They also encouraged Democrats to share their event schedules with Indivisible to avoid confusion over town hall scheduling.
Despite claiming to be "fueled by small dollar donations at the national level," Indivisible has received close to $8 million from liberal billionaire George Soros's Open Society Foundations since 2017.
Elon Musk recently pointed to Indivisible and its Soros funding in a tweet blaming the group for protests targeting Tesla dealerships, which Indivisible has also organized. A subsequent Forbes fact check labeled Musk's claim as "dubiously blaming Soros," but failed to mention the Open Society Foundations's past support for Indivisible.
Beyond the reimbursement program, Indivisible also runs a "distributed fundraising program" that assists local chapters in registering with ActBlue to raise their own funds. Indivisible covers ActBlue's service fees on behalf of their local groups, ensuring that "100% of the funds your group raises are deposited onto your debit card to spend on permitted group activities."
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