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‘This is war’: Graham isn’t playing around with NY bill requiring Chick-fil-A to open on Sunday

December 23, 2023 | | Print Article

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham has declared “war” over a New York State bill that’d effectively punish Chick-fil-A for being closed on Sundays.

The proposed bill, the Rest Stop Restaurant Act (A08336), would require restaurants and other food providers situated at public rest stops and transportation facilities (think airports) to be open seven days a week.

“While there is nothing objectionable about a fast food restaurant closing on a particular day of the week, service areas dedicated to travelers is an inappropriate location for such a restaurant,” the bill reads, according to local station WNBC.

“Publicly owned service areas should use their space to maximally benefit the public. Allowing for retail space to go unused one seventh of the week or more is a disservice and unnecessary inconvenience to travelers who rely on these service areas,” it continues.

The bill has been sponsored by Assemblyman Tony Simone, who said the following in defense of it: “Look, if you want to eat fried chicken while traveling over the holidays, then Chick-fil-A should be open on Sundays.”

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But Graham doesn’t care for any of this.

“This is war,” he tweeted on Saturday.

In additional tweets, he threatened to file legislation to withhold federal funds from any city or state that implements the controversial law.

“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,” he added.

Look:

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But Graham isn’t just talking the talk — he’s walking the walk. On Friday he joined a protest against the law outside a Chick-fil-A in Manhattan.

He later posted an image of himself at the protest to the social media platform X.

“As if the insanity by the left couldn’t get any worse, Democrats in New York are trying to force @ChickfilA to open on Sundays…,” the post read.

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“I showed up to their Manhattan location today while visiting NYC to send a clear message: Hands off OUR Chick-Fil-A!” it continued.

Look:

Unfortunately for the outspoken Republican, his protest has been met with massive mockery and derision, including even from some on the right who think his efforts are pointless.

“Thanks for the Chick fil a selfie Lindsey. That’ll show them!” conservative activist Ashley St. Clair sarcastically wrote.

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See more responses below, including one from noted hatemonger Keith Olbermann:

Of course, there is a catch to all this.

The law would only apply to FUTURE restaurant acquisitions, meaning Chick-fil-A reportedly won’t be affected by it.

Vivek Saxena
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