Is a deal to avoid sequestration still possible?

This transcript is automatically generated

Good evening I'm Bret -- -- Obama wants you to feel his pain over a series of cuts in spending growth.

Set to take effect in less than two weeks today.

He laid out real world concerns such as reductions in emergency service child care and job security.

Chief White House correspondent Ed Henry on whether any deal over the sequester.

Is still possible.

People will lose their jobs the unemployment rate might tick up again.

A senior administration official admitted today both parties are so dug in the massive spending cuts are all but certain to kick game.

Leading to layoffs the president -- for first responders and hundreds of thousands of others though he insists he has an open door to work out a deal they don't have to happen.

There is -- smarter way to do this.

To reduce our deficits.

Without harming our economy but congress aspect.

Yet Republican leaders say they have not even been contacted by the president since the inaugural I don't have any calls or communications to read out to you.

But this is not a complicated piece of business complicated enough it's lingered since late 2011.

When the super committee failed to get a deal.

Republicans -- proposed plans to avoid this sequester at at that time the president responded by threatening.

A -- already some in congress are trying to undo these automatic spending cuts.

My message to them there's simple.

No.

I will veto any effort to get rid of those automatic spending cuts to -- domestic and defense spending.

-- today on why the president wanted to Vito an effort to stop cuts he now calls draconian spokesman Jay Carney said the problem was Republicans wanted to plant that was not balanced with spending cuts and tax increases we do not support.

Undoing.

The -- in a way that says you know what.

We'll throw.

Double the number of kids had a head start will make.

Double the amount of cuts to education speaker John -- fired back today the focus should be on other spending cuts saying quote.

Just last month the president got his higher taxes on the wealthy and he's already back for more.

The American people understand that the revenue debate is now closed we should close loopholes and carve outs of the tax code.

But that revenue should be used to lower rates across the board.

-- Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles former co chairs of the president's own debt commission.

Who -- dealt a new version of their plan today that would save 2.4 trillion dollars.

Double the sequester.

They want far more spending cuts -- the president wants and they awarded mr.

Obama's legacy will be tarnished if he does not act on social security and Medicare if he wants to.

Leave it alone.

And not -- those two big -- forget the rest of stuff he'll have a failed presidency.

But Simpson -- -- also call for 600 billion dollars and more tax revenue that Republicans do not want.

And Carney said that Kabul -- spending cuts and tax increases.

Obliterates -- GOP claim that you can balance the budget without doing golf Brett.

And there's been criticism coming from Capitol Hill of this white house of this president for not reaching out today late today.

Some outreach on immigration.

That's right a little -- -- -- start at the White House briefing because this is basically center rubio -- office -- said that they've never heard from the White House and immigration in the White House fired back and said there have been five meetings between White House staff and rubio staffers as part of these gang of eight meetings up on Capitol Hill that rubio spoke said no these are just briefings not meetings the president try to put all this -- place calls tonight.

Basically to Marco Rubio who still traveling overseas but also senators McCain and Graham.

Key to -- any immigration reform bill the president out of those calls and told that he feels good about the prospects for a deal -- rubio is office now says he feels goods everyone's good.

The question now is whether they actually come together on a deal right now and how good.

All right Ed thank you could --

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Is a deal to avoid sequestration still possible?

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