Indivisible, the left-wing group behind red-district town hall protests targeting Elon Musk’s DOGE, is providing local activists with a “reimbursement program” to cover certain expenses associated with opposing what it calls the “Trump-Musk coup.” Included among the reimbursable items are “chicken suits,” according to Indivisible’s co-executive director.
Local Indivisible chapters, a webpage outlining the program states, can receive up to $200 per congressional recess for protest expenses like audio and video equipment, signage, promotional materials, and gas. For lawmakers who decline to hold town halls during the upcoming recess, Indivisible encourages local activists to hold their own events and purchase “cardboard depictions of your Member of Congress” and “chicken suits,” both of which Indivisible will pay for.
“We reimburse for chicken suits!!!” Indivisible co-executive director Leah Greenberg wrote on Bluesky. When a follower later asked Greenberg if Indivisible would ship the suits to members, she responded, “Historically we’ve mostly just sent people money to buy their own, but…stay tuned for March recess.”
After submitting receipts, local Indivisible members receive the funds through direct deposit or mailed check, the page says. They may be able to receive more funds if they find that $200 is not enough—the “reimbursement program” webpage tells activists to contact Indivisible if “the reimbursement is not sufficient to cover costs.” That issue shouldn’t apply to chicken costumes, which a Chinese retailer sells for as little as $30 on Amazon. Buyers beware: The company, Hainan Chong Yu Industrial Co., has faced U.S. recalls for failing to meet flammability standards.
Indivisible’s reimbursement program is open through December, suggesting the group has long-term plans to continue the viral red-district protests that drove mainstream media headlines during the House recess last month. The New York Times cited those protests as proof of a “broader backlash” over Musk’s efforts to slash government spending but did not mention Indivisible’s role in organizing them.
In the wake of the demonstrations, Indivisible emailed Democratic congressional offices to inform them of similar protests the group plans to spearhead when Congress breaks for its upcoming March recess.
The message said Indivisible “put Republicans on notice by organizing nearly 200 events across the country and directly challenging them for supporting unelected billionaires like Elon Musk” and pledged to “go even bigger” this month. It also encouraged Democrats to disclose their events to Indivisible to avoid “calls and confusion over town hall scheduling.”
Though Indivisible says it’s “fueled by small dollar donations at the national level,” it has received nearly $8 million from liberal billionaire George Soros’s Open Society Foundations since 2017. On Saturday, Musk cited Indivisible and its Soros funding in a tweet that blamed the group for protests targeting Tesla dealerships, which Indivisible has also organized. Hours later, a Forbes fact check said Musk had “dubiously blame[d] Soros.” It did not mention the Open Society Foundations’s past support for Indivisible.
In addition to the reimbursement program, Indivisible operates a “distributed fundraising program” through which it helps local chapters register with ActBlue to raise their own funds. Indivisible says it pays ActBlue’s service fees on their local groups’ behalf “so that 100% of the funds your group raises are deposited onto your debit card to spend on permitted group activities.”
Indivisible did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
