CIVIC DUTY

Celebrity Chef José Andrés Offers Government Workers Free Food During Shutdown

The chef is a longtime critic of President Trump.

Celebrity chef José Andrés said he will provide federal workers a free sandwich during the government shutdown “everyday until back to work!” Andrés, a vocal critic of President Trump, made the announcement on Twitter late Friday. “All my beautiful hardworking people of the Federal Government, come to any of my places with your families at the bar between 2-5 pm for a free sandwich. Everyday until back to work!” he tweeted, adding the names of all his D.C. restaurants. The House and Senate adjourned without passing a spending bill deal due to the ongoing dispute over funding Trump’s border wall, prompting a partial shutdown. According to NBC, more than 420,000 federal employees must work without pay while another 380,000 won’t be able to work; in the past, employees furloughed during shutdowns typically receive back pay after shutdowns lift, The Washington Post explains. Andrés had been embroiled in a two-year legal battle with the Trump Organization after he backed out of plans to open a restaurant in Trump’s Washington, D.C. hotel. The decision came in the wake of Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric. Andrés, an immigrant from Spain, and Trump’s company settled in April 2017.