January 31, 2016

Fox News host Chris Wallace cornered Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz on Sunday about his claim that President Barack Obama's health care reform law had cost jobs.

"The fact checkers say you're wrong," Wallace told Cruz. "Since that law went into effect, the unemployment rate fell from 9.9% to 5% as 13 million new jobs were created, and 16.3 million people who were previously uninsured now have coverage."

"There are plenty of problems with Obamacare, but more people have jobs and health insurance," the Fox News host added.

Cruz, however, argued that the fact checkers were wrong because they were biased.

"Fact checkers are not fair and impartial," he stated "They are liberal editorial journalists. And they have made it their mission to defend Obamacare."

"Wait," Wallace interrupted. "There's certainly no question that more people have jobs and more people health insurance."

"Yes, there is question," Cruz insisted "The fact is from 2008 to today, we've seen economic growth of 1.2% on average."

The Texas senator became irritated as the Fox News host pressed for an answer to his original question.

"Chris, don't interrupt me," Cruz snapped.

"That's changing the subject," Wallace noted. "Thirteen million new jobs have been created."

"And that is a historically slow rate of job creation," Cruz replied.

According to the GOP hopeful, small business owners told him that they were "praying" to be saved from Obamacare.

Wallace pointed out that the Cruz plan to replace the Affordable Care Act -- by selling insurance across state lines, expanding health savings accounts and making insurance portable between jobs -- "would have almost no effect in giving people who are not uninsured health coverage."

Cruz said that the conclusions of organizations like that Congressional Budget Office about his plan were "simply not accurate."

"This law is a disaster," Cruz opined. "People are hurting."

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