Chris Wallace Confronts Buttigieg for Misrepresenting Job Growth of Biden Infrastructure Plan: ‘Why Mislead Folks?’

Fox News’ Chris Wallace put Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg through a tough round of questions for overselling the jobs impact from the Biden administration’s infrastructure plan.

As Buttigieg appeared on Fox News Sunday to defend the American Jobs Plan, Wallace pointed out that he claimed last week the program would lead to the creation of 19 million jobs. However, Wallace noted that Buttigieg was quoting from a Moody’s Analytics study which found that the economy is expected to add 16.3 million jobs, and only 2.7 million on top of that thanks to the infrastructure bill.

“So it doesn’t, as you said last Sunday, create 19 million jobs,” Wallace said. “Why mislead folks?”

“Well, you’re right, I should have been more precise,” Buttigieg conceded. He continued to defend himself though by noting that “the 19 million jobs that will be created are more than the jobs that will be created if we don’t do the plan,” and Wallace called him out for misrepresenting the figures.

“Would you agree that you and the president and Brian Deese, the economic adviser on this program last week, you all exaggerated the jobs impact?” Wallace asked. “You’re the one who recited Moody’s Analytics as 19 million, and it’s actually 2.7 million, which is a bunch, but it’s not what you said.”

Buttigieg said that the fact remains that the plan will add jobs despite those who claim otherwise. He admitted again, however, that “yes, 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, why wouldn’t we want America to create 2.7 million more jobs?”

Watch above, via Fox News Sunday.