President Barack Obama, accompanied by emergency responders, a group of workers the White House says could be affected if state and local governments lose federal money as a result of budget cuts, gestures as he speaks in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office building on the White House complex in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Obama says the $85 billion in cuts — known as the sequester — are “severe” and says they won’t help the economy and won’t create jobs.
Obama is calling the across-the-board cuts a “meat cleaver” approach to reducing the deficit. He says the cuts would impact the nation’s military readiness and investment in areas like education.
He’s calling on Republicans to back a plan proposed by Senate Democrats that would offset the sequester through a combination of increased tax revenue and targeted budget cuts. GOP lawmakers are opposed to more tax revenue, saying Obama got the tax increases he wanted during the “fiscal cliff” negotiations.
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