South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham has a message for New York state lawmakers: Don't mess with God's chicken.
The Republican took his defense of Chick-fil-A on the road this week, issuing a fresh warning during a trip to the Big Apple over a New York bill that would force some of the franchise's locations to open on Sundays.
Graham threatened "war" last week in response to legislation filed in the New York State Assembly to require Chick-fil-A restaurants located at rest stops to operate seven days a week, which goes against the company's long-standing policy of staying closed on Sundays for religious reasons.
Graham said then if the proposal moves forward, he would introduce his own legislation in the U.S. Senate withholding federal funds from any city or state that requires Chick-fil-A to open on Sundays.
NEW YORK BILL WOULD FORCE SOME CHICK-FIL-A LOCATIONS TO OPEN ON SUNDAYS
When asked about the New York bill during an appearance on "FOX & Friends" in New York City on Wednesday, Graham said, "Well, if you can have a Satan club in high school, surely [Chick-fil-A] can close on Sunday, because they believe it's the Lord's Day."
He then gave a shout-out to Chick-fil-A Chairman Dan Cathy, telling him and the rest of the Chick-fil-A crew, "Stand your ground, I've got your back. It's illegal what they're trying to do."
"The idea that the state of New York is going to make a company change its policies it's had from its founding — they want to have one day off for their employees to recognize the Lord, and they can do it," Graham went on to tell "FOX & Friends." "And to the people in New York who are pushing this: You're in for one hell of a fight."
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Following the interview, Graham posted a video on X of himself in front of a Chick-fil-A location in Manhattan, where he continued his campaign against the New York bill, calling it a "blatant violation of this company's rights."
The New York legislation filed earlier this month would require all food vendors operating at rest stops owned by the New York State Thruway Authority to open every day, and names Chick-fil-A as the reason behind the move.
"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's justification reads. "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."
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Ever since it opened in 1946, Chick-fil-A has closed its locations on Sunday. It now has 3,000 locations in the U.S. The company currently operates seven restaurants owned by New York's Thruway Authority, and the proposed legislation would impact all future contracts.
