The U.S. Senate chamber broke into laughter Tuesday evening as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) dismissed a recent New York Times poll as “biased” after it showed widespread public opposition to the Democratic-led government shutdown.
The remark came just hours before the federal government officially shut down, following a failed attempt by Senate Republicans to pass a clean continuing resolution (CR) to keep government operations running. Democrats blocked the measure, citing demands for policy changes, including healthcare funding rollbacks for illegal immigrants tied to recent reforms.
The moment of levity came during a tense floor exchange when Schumer preemptively responded to Republican references to polling data showing that a majority of Americans opposed the shutdown.
UPDATE: Cryin' Chuck Schumer says the poll is "biased"
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 30, 2025
🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/ckpP7XFvk0 pic.twitter.com/bxT7M5JxBv
“Now I know the leader is going to show a poll that says that the Democrats will be blamed for the shutdown. There are many more polls that show Republicans are blamed,” Schumer said. “The question in that poll is biased. Biased. It’s in The New York Times, but it’s biased—”
The claim of bias from Schumer drew open laughter from several senators in the chamber, interrupting his remarks.
“That’s true,” Schumer insisted. “I don’t always believe in The New York Times, you can be sure of that. Neither do you.”
Poll Shows Majority Opposed to Democrat Shutdown Push
The poll in question was conducted by The New York Times and Siena College between September 22 and 27, surveying 1,313 registered voters. It asked whether Democrats should shut down the government if their demands — including changes to the Working Families Tax Cut Act — were not met.
The results were clear:
- 65% of respondents said Democrats should not shut down the government.
- Only 27% said Democrats should shut it down.
- Even among Democratic voters, less than half supported the idea of a shutdown tied to unmet demands.
These findings undercut the narrative from some Democratic leaders who have argued that their stance reflects the will of the people.
Shutdown Begins as Negotiations Stall
Despite polling concerns, Senate Democrats held firm in blocking the Republican-backed CR on Tuesday night. As the clock struck midnight on October 1, funding expired, and large portions of the federal government officially shut down.
The shutdown’s political fallout remains uncertain, but early signs suggest Democrats may face challenges in justifying the move to a skeptical public — especially if Schumer’s own reaction to the polling data is any indication of how the issue is being received within his party.
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This merits one of my favorite lines: 30,000 comedians out of work and upchuck is trying to tell jokes. If anyone still ‘feelz’ he can be taken seriously about any issue I have a bridge in Brooklyn I will sell ya!