Sen. Durbin rips into the media after reporter forces him to reveal awkward truth about spending bill

CNN's chief congressional correspondent, Manu Raju, took a shot from an angry Democratic politician when he questioned the wage raise for members of Congress in the emergency spending bill.

Raju asked Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois whether members of Congress deserved the pay raise included for them in the bill when Durbin said he had no clue it was even in the bill.

'What about the media? Think about that for a second!'

"Well, that's news to me. It's good news!" Durbin joked. "You know, what has it been, ten years, or fourteen years with no [cost of living adjustment], no change at all. I think it's about time."

Raju pressed him on whether Congress had earned a pay raise, and Durbin spun the question around on the media.

“People look at the performance of Congress and say, ‘Why should we give them more money?’” Raju said.

“What about the media? Think about that for a second!" Durbin fired back.

"We're not paid by public money," Raju responded, laughing at the comparison.

"I know you're not, but half of your listeners are not there anymore, and you’re still getting the same paycheck? What's going on?" Durbin mocked.

Raju noted on CNN that Durbin was the second-highest Senate Democrat leader and even he did not know the full details of the bill being passed to avoid a government shutdown.

Video of the exchange was widely circulated on social media.

Many Republicans are also vehemently criticizing the deal reached between Democrats and Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson that would continue funding the government but without significant budget cuts. The Christmas omnibus bill will extend spending 100 days into the administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

When Raju ended his report about the exchange on CNN, network host Jim Acosta joked that Raju was "worth every penny" of his income.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!