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Pete Buttigieg: “The federal minimum wage has unquestionably reduced poverty…”

Featuring: Pete Buttigieg, Democratic | Former Secretary of Transportation, Former Mayor of South Bend | National

Community Conversation between Mayor Randall Woodfin and Secretary Pete Buttigieg

Published March 10, 2026 | Video Starts at 17:38

But the other part of it is income. And the reality is that big part of the issue with affordability is if people aren't getting paid enough and minimum wage is part of that. The federal minimum wage has unquestionably reduced poverty and contributed to a better economy. But the federal minimum wage, the federal jobs, the federal government's not getting the job done, then it falls to states to do it. (17:38–17:50)

CLAIM

Asserts that the federal minimum wage has reduced poverty and improved the economy.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Pete Buttigieg

“We, as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law, provided the biggest investment in transit in the history of the country.”
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“I also believe in moments like that...so much of our salvation will actually be coming from the local.”
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“Of the 14 and a half million federal dollars that we brought to make investments on 4th Avenue, which we're very proud to do.”
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“The states that have their state level minimum wage higher than that federal floor tend to do better.”
Community Conversation between Mayor Randall Woodfin and Secretary Pete Buttigieg | Uploaded March 10, 2026 | 17:56-18:08
“You could get health insurance on your own even if you had a pre-existing condition.”
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“Federal policies have at every turn made it harder to be a business owner.”
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“Our level of trust in our government, whether it's high or whether it's low, affects whether that government can function.”
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“Immigration law exists for a reason. Most of us think just about all of us understand the idea that a country needs to have borders, that…”
Community Conversation between Mayor Randall Woodfin and Secretary Pete Buttigieg | Uploaded March 10, 2026 | 34:00-34:10
“They also thought they were voting for a government that would find someone who was dangerous, who was a violent criminal, who had…”
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“There is a yawning gap between the level of immigration our economy requires and the level of immigration our government permits.”
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“There can be not just less illegal but more legal immigration at the same time.”
Community Conversation between Mayor Randall Woodfin and Secretary Pete Buttigieg | Uploaded March 10, 2026 | 37:14-37:20
“This is not just a policy of being cruel toward undocumented immigrants.”
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“This is a policy that says every one of you, every one of us at any given moment has to prove that we're a citizen.”
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“Federal and state policy ought to be empowering you to pursue whoever it is [absentee landlords].”
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“If the federal government wants to track the whereabouts of every immigrant in this country, surely it can help you track the absentee…”
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“Traditional forms like print media and broadcast media have an obligation to present multiple sides of a story.”
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“If they [traditional media] were to report something inaccurately, we could call them and they would change it because they adhere to…”
Community Conversation between Mayor Randall Woodfin and Secretary Pete Buttigieg | Uploaded March 10, 2026 | 51:10-51:19
“Some dude on Instagram gets to command as much audience and as much authority [as professional journalists].”
Community Conversation between Mayor Randall Woodfin and Secretary Pete Buttigieg | Uploaded March 10, 2026 | 51:44-51:51
“The algorithm... its job is not to make sure that we are presented with information we need to see. Its job is just to keep us scrolling.”
Community Conversation between Mayor Randall Woodfin and Secretary Pete Buttigieg | Uploaded March 10, 2026 | 52:14-52:32
“At the local level, you can't torch somebody just because you disagreed with them.”
Community Conversation between Mayor Randall Woodfin and Secretary Pete Buttigieg | Uploaded March 10, 2026 | 53:45-53:49
“If we could get Washington to begin to work a little more like our best run cities and towns... our country would be, I think, much better…”
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“Two thirds of Americans think that it is the wealthy who need to be paying their fair share in taxes.”
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“Two thirds of Americans are aligned around the idea that workers ought to be paid more and ought to get better benefits.”
Community Conversation between Mayor Randall Woodfin and Secretary Pete Buttigieg | Uploaded March 10, 2026 | 1:00:53-1:01:01
“At least 2/3 of Americans think we ought to do more, expect more of our government to make sure that everybody gets health care that is…”
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Community Conversation between Mayor Randall Woodfin and Secretary Pete Buttigieg | Uploaded March 10, 2026 | 1:01:40-1:01:46
“The contours of the grand bargain have 2/3 support in this country. More lawful immigration, less unlawful immigration, and a pathway to…”
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“The Electoral College, which says that, and I love Georgia, but says that if you're in Georgia, you matter for presidential politics, but if…”
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