Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman is criticizing Congress and President Barack Obama for across-the-board spending cuts rather than targeted reductions.

Heineman released a statement Tuesday saying the federal government should balance its budget by reducing spending, not raising taxes.

Heineman says Congress and Obama should have agreed to prioritized cuts, but the Republican governor put most of the blame on the Democratic president.

The governor says Obama should "lead on this issue, instead of playing politics with the daily lives of Americans."

At issue are $85 billion in indiscriminate federal spending cuts that will begin Friday unless blocked by Congress and the president.