Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is poised to declare "war" over proposed legislation in New York that would force some Chick-fil-A restaurants to open on Sundays, a move that would run afoul of the company's policy since it opened in 1946.
Assemblymember Tony Simone, D-Manhattan, sponsored a bill that would mandate any restaurant that services rest stops on the state's Thruway and Port Authority facilities in New York and New Jersey be open seven days a week.
"This is war," Graham tweeted Friday.
The company that operates the facilities, Applegreen, factored Chick-fil-A's Sunday-off policy into its plan for tenants and is not calling for the restaurant to open on Sundays. Chick-fil-A would occupy 10 of 27 restaurant spaces.
"Not only does Chick-fil-A have a long shameful history of opposing LGBTQ rights, it simply makes no sense for them to be a provider of food services in busy travel plazas," Simone said in a statement.
Graham said in a second post, "If this goes forward, I will be introducing legislation withholding federal funds from any city or state that requires @ChickfilA to stay open on Sunday."
Chick-fil-A's Sunday-closed policy was designed to allow operators and team members "to enjoy a day of rest, be with their families and loved ones, and worship if they choose."
"The founders of Chick-fil-A made a decision early on to close on Sunday, consistent with their faith. For any government to try to reverse this decision flies in the face of who we are as Americans. Chick-fil-A is a great company with thousands of locations serving the public with a quality product and taking care of their employees," Graham added.
"New York is off base and their actions will not go unanswered."
Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill into law in 2019 dubbed the Save Chick-fil-A religious freedom bill.
"The Save Chick-fil-A bill is for all Texans, not just Chick-fil-A. It protects anyone who donates to, or affiliates with, a religious organization from government discrimination. Not everyone has the market share or resources Chick-fil-A does, and facing a government ban could be a make or break moment for many small businesses. No Texan should fear state-sponsored attacks against them because of what they believe," read a passage from that bill.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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