Obama pushes Congress to avoid forced spending cuts

Washington (CNN) – President Barack Obama warned Tuesday of diminished emergency services, longer airport security lines and other problems if Congress fails to reach agreement on avoiding the harshest impacts of automatic, across-the-board spending cuts set to begin March 1.

With firefighters, police officers and other emergency responders standing behind him, Obama said that "people will lose their jobs" if the forced cuts are allowed to take effect.