By the end of the week, automatic federal spending cuts go into effect, and the Obama administration has been warning of dire consequences if that happens.  Some Republicans, including Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, are now telling the public these warnings are overblown.

Governor Jindal says the claims that thousands of department of defense workers will be furloughed, that food safety inspections will be cut and air traffic control towers will be shut down are just politics -- considering the amount of money being cut is a small percentage.

"We can cut less than three percent of the budget without hollowing out our military, without jeopardizing air traffic, without jeopardizing meat inspections," Jindal told NBC News. "The reality is, nobody's saying he should make these exact cuts."

Jindal says he can make better cuts that this.

"In the Department of Transportation's budget," he listed as an example, "members of Congress have pointed out hundreds of millions of dollars spent on consulting contracts, on travel.  Let's not cut the air traffic controllers first, let's go cut the waste."

President Obama wants a package of targeted cuts and tax increases, while Republican leaders say the president already got a tax increase as part of the fiscal cliff negotiations, and the savings should come from reduced spending alone.