Sen. Jim Inhofe wants flexibility for Pentagon if deep cuts occur

Inhofe said he was worried about the impact furloughs would have on civilian workers' paychecks.

“Most people live pretty close to the line,” he said.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Wednesday that President Barack Obama wants a balanced approach to replacing the $1 trillion in cuts, meaning he wants more revenue, potentially from changes in the tax code.

Carney said the president “has put forward a good-faith proposal that met Republicans more than halfway in the effort to achieve significant deficit reduction in a responsible, balanced way that doesn't allow for the across-the-board cuts in defense or nondefense spending that everybody understands to be a bad thing.

“And we look forward to working with Republicans and Democrats to enact that approach, because it's the right thing to do.”