Code Pink's Treasury subpoenaed Medea Benjamin backs plans for protest encampments throughout July, August

CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin is calling for anti-defense spending encampments to take place throughout the summer after confirming that her organization received an inquiry from the Treasury Department.

Speaking publicly after acknowledging the Treasury letter, Benjamin announced a push for nationwide encampments aimed at opposing the proposed increase in defense spending.

“We are now putting out a call for encampments over the summer in July and August,” she said. “Whether it’s outside a military base or it’s outside of a weapons industry, or it’s just in any old place where you want to get together and create community and teach each other what we need to learn, and we want to focus on how we can really go against the 1.5 [trillion] dollar Pentagon budget.”

CodePink received an inquiry from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) regarding its March trip to Cuba. Benjamin was subpoenaed, along with streamer Hasan Piker, after her group traveled to Cuba to support the regime amid sanctions from the US. 

The Trump administration has signaled increased efforts to crack down on non-profit organizations that are engaging in foreign policy and activism. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized this last week, saying the nonprofits and their fiscal sponsors cannot be shielded from legal accountability when their resources are being used to support political violence or other unlawful activity.

"We’ve made substantial progress, and I think in the weeks and months ahead, we’re going to have a lot to report," Bessent said, according to Fox News, adding that under new changes, the IRS will "demand that nonprofits know their grant recipients."

"So, if a grant recipient is violent, if they are suppressing people’s rights, then you are responsible for that," Bessent explained. "I think that’s a very good first step."