Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama called on Tuesday for a short-term agreement to put off deep cuts to government spending, including the military, set to take effect next month. Obama made his pitch in a statement to reporters at the White House, urging Congress to pass a measure that would offset some of the imminent automatic spending cuts -- known as sequestration -- that were part of a 2011 debt ceiling deal. The president made clear that he still wanted a broader deficit reduction agreement with Republicans that included spending cuts, entitlement reforms and increased revenue from eliminating some tax breaks.
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NEW: Avoid "self-inflicted wounds" out of Washington, President Obama says
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Obama says sequester cuts will hurt the economy
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Steep spending cuts from a 2011 debt-ceiling deal will impact the government March 1
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The cuts were intended to force a broader deficit reduction deal that never happened
However, he noted that it was unlikely @placeholder would reach a deficit-reduction deal by March 1 to render the sequestration cuts moot.