Celebrity chef Jose Andres offers free food to jobless federal government workers if shutdown occurs

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - With the threat of a shutdown looming over the heads of hundreds of thousands of federal workers, a celebrity chef is offering a free meal to those who could potentially be out of work if a deal can't be reached.

Jose Andres, who owns restaurants in Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and other places across the U.S., has reached out on Twitter saying that his D.C. locations would provide a free sandwich for lunch to federal workers if they are impacted by a possible partial shutdown.

"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 posted Friday in response to a tweet by President Trump that said if Senate Democrats don't go along with his demand for border wall money, "there will be a shutdown that will last for a very long time."

In November, Andres offered then incoming Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a place to stay after she admitted that she could not afford an apartment in Washington, D.C. until her salary kicked in.

Andres was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize earlier this year by Maryland Congressman John Delaney for work he did to help feed people in Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria.