Chris Wallace grills Buttigieg on false jobs claim: 'Why mislead people?'

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Pete Buttigieg on opposition to Biden's massive infrastructure plan

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg maintains President Biden's $2.25 trillion infrastructure spending proposal is necessary for job creation, arguing that 2.7 million more jobs would be added 'than if we don't do the plan.'

"Fox News Sunday" anchor Chris Wallace on Sunday grilled Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for exaggerating the number of jobs that would be created by President Biden's $2 trillion-plus spending proposal.

Wallace noted that Buttigieg and other Biden administration officials overstated the number of jobs that would be created by Biden's "American Jobs Plan" last Sunday and then asked, "Why mislead people?"

"You're right. I should have been more precise," Buttigieg said.

Buttigieg then attempted to spin the projected number of jobs created by saying that there would be over 2 million more jobs created with the "infrastructure" plan than if there wasn't a plan.

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Wallace said there was a huge difference between 2 million jobs created and 19 million jobs, prompting Buttigieg to say it's "very important" for Americans to know 2.7 million jobs will be created. He then asked Buttigieg whether he agrees that he and other Biden admistration officials exaggerated the "jobs impact."

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg takes a question from a reporter at a press briefing at the White House, Friday, April 9, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) ((AP Photo/Andrew Harnik))

During an appearance on NBC's "Meet The Press" last Sunday, Buttigieg claimed that Moody's estimated the Biden plan would create 19 million jobs. National Economic Council Director Brian Deese also pushed the talking point last week on "Fox News Sunday."

On Sunday, Buttigieg claimed there were several analyses on the spending plan estimating millions of jobs created, but Wallace pointed out that Buttigieg was the one who cited an analysis from Moody's.

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"Secretary, you're the one who cited Moody's Analytics as 19 million, and it's actually 2.7 million, which is a bunch, but it's not what you said," Wallace said.

"It's part of a scenario that Moody says will create 19 million jobs, but the bottom line is it's going to add jobs and this is a direct refutation of people who are saying otherwise," Buttigieg said. "So yeah, you're right, I should be very precise. The difference in jobs that that particular analysis suggests is 2.7 million more. That is a great place to be."