Acclaimed chef Jose Andre is turning his opposition of Donald Trump into some help for furloughed government workers.
As the federal government entered a partial shutdown amid Trump’s insistence on getting funding for his border wall, Andres has decided to help the suddenly out-of-work employees by offering them free food. As the Hill noted, Andres said that he will provide food for federal employees for as long as the shutdown should happen to last.
“And I will offer again Free Sandwiches to the poor men and women of the federal government, republicans and democrats, at every restaurant of mine in DC for lunch until they get paid again!” he tweeted .
The government shutdown started at the stroke of midnight on Saturday after Democrats in the U.S. Senate refused to give in to Donald Trump’s demand for border wall funding. Earlier in the week, Trump had indicated that he would sign a temporary funding bill that did not include border wall funding, but he abruptly reversed course amid harsh criticism from right-wing media, especially some of Trump’s favorite shows on Fox News.
This is not the first time that Jose Andres has put his culinary skills to use in helping those affected by Donald Trump’s wrath. As the Hill report noted, he also offered free lunch to the winner of Trump’s proposed “Fake News Awards” and served free sandwiches and drinks for students activists who attended the March for Our Lives rally earlier this year to advocate for gun reform.
Jose Andres has also been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his relief efforts for disaster-stricken areas, including Guatemala and Puerto Rico. As Today , reported, he has taken to visiting these areas to provide food for displaced residents and first responders trying to help them recover from the tragedies.
Chef José Andrés says he’ll feed government workers affected by the government shutdown https://t.co/xjunHqmeEq
— Insider Business (@BusinessInsider) December 22, 2018
And I will offer again Free Sandwiches to the poor men and women of the federal government, republicans and democrats, at every restaurant of mine in DC for lunch until they get paid again! https://t.co/hHUnPrqhsF
— José Andrés?? (@chefjoseandres) December 21, 2018
Andres said he was shocked to learn about his nomination but didn’t think all of the spotlight should be on him.
“I don’t know if it is true, but if it is, I’m humbled by it,” Andres said. “I’m one more guy between thousands of people helping feed people in need, every day around the world, unrecognized.”
It’s not clear how long Jose Andres could be providing free food to government workers affected by the shutdown. With Democrats vowing not to authorize funding for Donald Trump’s border wall — including many pointing out that he repeatedly promised Mexico would be paying for the wall — and the president not offering any concessions, there is no indication of when the shutdown could end.
