The $85 billion automatic spending cuts have begun to kick in after President Obama failed to reach a budget deal with congressional Republicans. The cuts are likely to slow down government services across the board, with expected disruptions over time in areas including air travel, food inspections and child services. As the Friday deadline to reach a deal expired, Obama placed the blame squarely on Republicans.

President Obama: “We shouldn’t be making a series of dumb, arbitrary cuts to things that businesses depend on and workers depend on, like education and research and infrastructure and defense. It’s unnecessary, and at a time when too many Americans are still looking for work, it’s inexcusable. And let’s be clear: None of this is necessary. It’s happening because a choice that Republicans in Congress have made. They’ve allowed these cuts to happen because they refuse to budge on closing a single wasteful loophole to help reduce the deficit.”

In the aftermath of the deadline, Obama has again signaled his willingness to cut spending on so-called entitlements like Medicare and Social Security to appease Republican demands. On Sunday, White House senior economic official Gene Sperling said Obama already discussed entitlement reform with lawmakers from parties over the weekend.