Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.) claimed the Obama administration has "at times" overstated the potential damage of sequestration.

“Maybe at times there’s been an overstatement,” Levin said on MSNBC Tuesday. “But the basic fact remains, sequestration is a harmful idea. It’s going to hurt in many, many respects."

"It’s going to hurt defense, it’s going to hurt economic growth, it’s going to hurt lots of basic programs for the American people," Levin said.

The congressman specifically noted the impact the cuts would have on his home state, recognizing the effects as "reality."

“NIA funding in Michigan, $30 million is going to be lost in basic research," Levin said. "In Oakland County and Livingston County they’re going to start cutting hours for teachers in Head Start. So there’s reality here.”

In a March 1 press conference, President Barack Obama called the automatic budget cuts "dumb" and "arbitrary," blaming Republicans for failing to act to stop the cuts.

A former aide told the New York Times that Obama's criticism of GOP actions over sequestration could lead to “a self-fulfilling kind of mess.”

The New York Times reported earlier:

As the nation’s top Democrat, President Obama has a clear imperative: to ratchet up pressure on Republicans for across-the-board spending cuts by using the power of his office to dramatize the impact on families, businesses and the military.

But as president, Mr. Obama is charged with minimizing the damage from the spending reductions and must steer clear of talking down the economy. A sustained campaign against the cuts by the president could become what one former aide called “a self-fulfilling kind of mess.”

As a result, Mr. Obama is carefully navigating between maximizing heat on Republicans to undo the cuts while mobilizing efforts to make sure that the steep spending cuts do not hurt Americans. His advisers acknowledge the potential political perils ahead as the president struggles to find the right kind of balance.

Obama plans to meet with a number of Republican senators Wednesday over dinner, and will also speak with GOP congressmen on Capitol Hill next week.

Also on HuffPost:

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  • Defense

    About half of the sequestration consists of <a href="http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/files/serve?File_id=b276f1fe-4529-4f63-bf10-d26d0444797c" target="_hplink">defense spending cuts</a>, which would "drastically" shrink the military and cancel defense contracts, according to the House Armed Services Committee. (John Cantlie/Getty Images)

  • Emergency Response

    The sequestration would slash funding for the government's <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/08/fact-sheet-examples-how-sequester-would-impact-middle-class-families-job" target="_hplink">emergency response system</a> for disasters such as hurricanes, according to the White House. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

  • Unemployment Benefits

    <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/08/fact-sheet-examples-how-sequester-would-impact-middle-class-families-job" target="_hplink">Checks for unemployed people</a> looking for work would shrink by up to 9 percent, according to the White House. (J Pat Carter/AP Photo)

  • Homelessness Programs

    More than 100,000 <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/08/fact-sheet-examples-how-sequester-would-impact-middle-class-families-job" target="_hplink">formerly homeless people</a> would lose their current housing as a result of sequestration, according to the White House. (Mark Lennihan/AP Photo)

  • Rental Assistance

    About 125,000 low-income families would be at risk of losing their housing because of <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/08/fact-sheet-examples-how-sequester-would-impact-middle-class-families-job" target="_hplink">rental assistance cuts</a>, according to the White House. (Barry Gutierrez/AP Photo)

  • Mental Health Programs

    The sequestration would eliminate care for up to 373,000 <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/08/fact-sheet-examples-how-sequester-would-impact-middle-class-families-job" target="_hplink">"seriously mentally ill" people</a>, according to the White House. (Eric Gay/AP Photo)

  • Food Safety

    The FDA would conduct fewer <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/08/fact-sheet-examples-how-sequester-would-impact-middle-class-families-job" target="_hplink">food inspections</a> as a result of sequestration, according to the White House. (Mike Hentz/AP Photo)

  • Head Start

    About 70,000 children would lose access to the early education program <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/08/fact-sheet-examples-how-sequester-would-impact-middle-class-families-job" target="_hplink">Head Start</a> as a result of the sequestration, according to the White House. (Elaine Thompson/AP Photo)

  • Small Business Assistance

    The government's <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/08/fact-sheet-examples-how-sequester-would-impact-middle-class-families-job" target="_hplink">small business loan guarantees</a> would get slashed by nearly $1 billion as a result of the sequestration, according to the White House. (Steven Senne/AP Photo)

  • Scientific Research

    The sequestration would slash <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/08/fact-sheet-examples-how-sequester-would-impact-middle-class-families-job" target="_hplink">scientific research funding</a> at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF), according to the White House. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

  • HIV Prevention

    Up to 424,000 <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/08/fact-sheet-examples-how-sequester-would-impact-middle-class-families-job" target="_hplink">HIV tests</a> would be on the chopping block as a result of sequestration, according to the White House. Thousands of people with HIV also would lose access to "life-saving" HIV medications. (Darren Abate/AP Images for AIDS Healthcare Foundation)