GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham is vowing to withhold federal funds from any city or state government that forces Chick-fil-A to stay open on Sundays.
“This is war,” Graham posted Friday on X in response to a New York proposal requiring some of the franchise’s locations to operate seven days a week.
A bill filed last week in the New York State Assembly attempts to require some Chick-fil-A locations to operate every day, despite the fast food chain’s longstanding policy to keep its restaurants closed on Sundays for religious reasons.
“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,” Graham also wrote in the post. “New York is off base and their actions will not go unanswered.”
Graham, of South Carolina, said he would introduce legislation to withhold the federal funds
The New York bill would impact all food vendors operating at rest stops owned by the New York State Thruway Authority, requiring them to remain open every day in an effort to give New Yorkers and those traveling in the state a full variety of food options.
“The founders of Chick-fil-A made a decision early on to close on Sunday, consistent with their faith,” Graham wrote on X. “For any government to try to reverse this decision flies in the face of who we are as Americans.”