WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is pressing Congress to avert automatic budget cuts due to take effect in less than two weeks.

Obama will make his appeal during a White House event this morning. He will be joined by emergency responders, a group of workers the White House says could be affected if state and local governments lose federal money as a result of the cuts.

The $85 billion in across-the-board cuts is known as the sequester.

The White House wants to offset the sequester with a combination of targeted spending cuts and tax revenue. Senate Democrats offered a plan last week that is in line with the president's principles.

But that proposal drew an icy reception from Republicans, who oppose offsetting the sequester with more revenue.