U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg defended President Joe Biden's economic policies and declared that his administration's "top economic priority" is fighting against inflation amid rising food, housing and health care costs.

Buttigieg also touted the administration's COVID-19 recovery package, which he stated had "rescued the economy," according to an Oct. 16 CBS News report. Without it, "we would not have had the 10 million jobs created with this president with the lowest unemployment numbers in history," Buttigieg said.

"Look, I don't think anybody could argue that, for example, our unemployment numbers are anything but strong as hell," Buttigieg said, according to CBS News.

However, CBS News reported more than two-thirds of registered U.S. voters believe the Biden administration could be doing more to combat inflation, according to the latest CBS News Battleground Tracker poll, which also noted slowing momentum for Democratic congressional candidates after months of steady advances. Due to this, the poll suggests the Republicans' lead in the race for control of the U.S. House has stabilized.

During his interview, Buttigieg referred to inflation as a "global phenomenon" U.S. officials are working to fight from within their country, CBS News reported. The DOT reiterated the president's recent claim of a strong economy and said the $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package from 2021 created growth in key areas and significantly increased employment numbers. However, the bill's effectiveness has been called into question by Americans who believe that inflation rates actually rose following its passage.