In a move intended to intensify pressure on Congress to prevent looming spending cuts set for March 1, White House officials told reporters the cuts would hamper law enforcement, hurt federal education programs, withhold mental health services and furlough thousands of workers.
The officials also said there would be nothing they could do to soften the pain if the sequester happens.
“The blunt, irresponsible nature of sequestration means we can’t plan our way out of sequestration or take steps to soften their blow,” Danny Werfel, federal controller of the Office of Management and Budget, told reporters. “These large and arbitrary cuts will have severe impacts across the government.”
President Obama hammered the point home at a farewell ceremony for outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta later Friday afternoon, saying there was “no reason for that to happen.”