WASHINGTON (March 1, 2013)--President Obama and Republicans were playing the blame game Friday as the clock ticked town on $85 billion in automatic spending cuts.

Mr. Obama met with lawmakers Friday morning at the White House and afterward told reporters, "Let's be clear: None of this is necessary. It's happening because of a choice that Republicans in Congress have made. We shouldn't be making a series of dumb, arbitrary cuts to things."

Republicans countered that the fault was Mr. Obama's, for insisting that increased taxes be part of the resolution.

Mr. Obama says the impact of the cuts won't be felt immediately, but middle class families will begin to "have their lives disrupted in significant ways."

He said as long as the cuts are in effect, Americans will know that the economy could have been better had they been averted.