President addresses governors regarding sequestration

GREEN BAY - After a vacation, Congress went back to work Monday with a fast approaching deadline looming.

Federal budget cuts, known this time as the sequester are set to kick in Friday.

$85 billion in reductions would begin and affect programs across the board.

The White House estimates 750,000 jobs could temporarily hang in the balance.

It's a situation that had President Obama and Wisconsin's governor speaking out Monday.
    
"The American people have worked hard and long to dig themselves out of one crisis. They don't need us creating another one," said President Barack Obama.

At his address to the National Governors Association, President Obama called on Congress to prevent the sequester.

"These cuts do not have to happen. Congress can turn them off anytime with just a little compromise," said Mr. Obama.

The president claims the sequester could mean jobs lost.

"Companies are preparing layoff notices, families are preparing to cut back on expenses, and the longer these cuts are in place, the bigger the impact will become," said Mr. Obama.

It's a message that frustrated Republican governors in attendance.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker said many states have been able to keep finances in check.

"We've shown that we can balance those budgets without raising taxes, in a way that wasn't arbitrary, but in fact was able to focus on priorities," said Gov. Scott Walker, R-Wisconsin.

Walker says across the board cuts are not the answer.

"Even though we don't necessarily like the cuts that are part of the sequester, we think its incumbent upon this president and his administration to provide alternatives to these cuts," said Walker.

It's a crisis that may be as much about politics as it is about the economy.   

"This town has to get past its obsession with focusing on the next election instead of the next generation. At some point we got to do some governing," said Mr. Obama.

"It's about time the folks in Washington started providing the kind of leadership the rest of us do across the country," said Walker.