In an Oval Office interview with Kate Wiltrout, Obama said both parties should agree to a proposal that includes both spending cuts and tax revenue increases.
The interview took place through a White House outreach to Hampton Roads-based media outlets, Wiltrout wrote.
Under sequestration, the cuts are to be split equally between defense and nondefense spending because a bipartisan committee could not come up with a deficit reduction proposal before Thanksgiving 2011.
Citing analysts, Wiltrout reports the $500 billion-plus in defense cuts would result in more than 200,000 workers losing their jobs in Virginia.