Things got downright comical in the U.S. Senate when Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called a major newspaper’s poll “biased” and sparked a room full of chuckles.

On Tuesday evening, less than five hours before a government shutdown, the Senate chamber turned into a comedy club as Schumer dismissed a survey from the New York Times, only to face laughter from his colleagues.

Let’s rewind to the poll in question, conducted between September 22 and 27 with 1,313 registered voters, which asked whether Democrats should push for a government shutdown if their demands weren’t met.

Senate laughs at Schumer’s poll jab

The results weren’t exactly a ringing endorsement for the Democratic strategy, with a whopping 65% of respondents saying Democrats should avoid a shutdown, while just 27% supported the move.

Even among Democratic voters, less than half backed the idea of shutting down the government over unmet demands—a statistic that likely didn’t sit well with party leadership.

Enter Schumer, who, shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, took to the floor and scoffed at the poll’s credibility, claiming it was slanted despite its source.

Schumer doubles down on bias claim

“The question in that poll is biased,” Schumer insisted, emphasizing the word as if repetition might convince skeptics.

Well, Senator, turns out laughter speaks louder than words, as the chamber erupted in amusement at the notion that a major publication’s data could be so easily waved away.

Schumer didn’t stop there, adding, “I don’t always believe in the New York Times, you can be sure of that.”

Government shutdown looms amid dispute

His follow-up quip, “Neither do you,” aimed at his colleagues, only fueled the chuckles, but the humor masked a looming crisis just hours away.

As the clock ticked closer to midnight on October 1, the government officially shut down after Democrats blocked a clean continuing resolution proposed by Republicans to keep things running.

It’s a classic case of political brinkmanship, where sticking to principles—or perhaps stubbornness—takes precedence over practical governance, leaving taxpayers to bear the consequences.

Public opinion clashes with strategy

Looking at the poll numbers again, it’s hard to ignore that the public wasn’t on board with this shutdown strategy, a fact that Schumer’s dismissal can’t erase.

From a conservative vantage point, this feels like another instance of progressive overreach, where ideological demands trump the basic responsibility to keep the government operational—turns out actions do have consequences.

Yet, in fairness, both sides have played hardball in shutdown showdowns before, and while the laughter in the Senate was a momentary distraction, the real impact hits everyday Americans who just want their leaders to get the job done.