With the U.S. government now facing “sequester” – mandated cuts that will go into effect March 1 to reduce the overall budget by $85 billion – the biggest hurt may come to air travel, according to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

LaHood, a former Republican congressman who will step down on from the DOT later this year, warned in a speech on Friday that the “sequester” will result in $1 billion in spending cuts for Transportation Department, including $600 million for the Federal Aviation Administration alone, most of which will lead to cutbacks among the FAA’s 47,000 employees, including its 15,000 air traffic controllers. The FAA also could reportedly close more than 100 air traffic control towers across the country, which would slow down air traffic and lead to delays.

President Obama last week urged Congress to postpone the cuts for several months to let the White House and the Republican leadership forge a new deal on spending cuts. For their part, Republicans, who believe that government overspending is a leading problem hurting the U.S. economy, have rejected the President Obama’s calls for talks. Some Republican congressmen have said that while the cuts may be painful, they could benefit the nation's finances in the long term.

On Sunday, Feb. 24, LaHood moderated his comments somewhat during an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, saying that the cutbacks would not affect air safety. “We will never take a back seat to safety,” he said. “We will never compromise on safety.” At the same time, he said the FAA will have to “work with the airlines in slowing planes down.”

When asked by NBC “Meet the Press” moderator David Gregory whether the effect of the sequester on air travel would be felt immediately, LaHood said the FAA is already starting to look at every contract it has to implement the $600 million in cuts. At the same time, he said if Republican and Democratic congressmen, who are returning to Washington this week, can get together, there is “still time to reach a compromise. It’s been done before….it can be done by Friday.”

When Gregory asked LaHood why it was necessary to cut air traffic controllers as part of the potential reductions, LaHood said “in the end, the largest amount of money is in the 15,000 controllers” out of the total 47,000 FAA employees. “Sequester doesn’t allow us to move money around,” he said. “It can all be brought to a halt when Congress comes back this week.” He urged Republicans to compromise with the President, whom he said has put a plan on the table.

Gregory also asked LaHood about Republican accusations that the impact on air travel has been overblown and the administration has been prematurely warning about the impact on airline safety. “This is not your father's FAA,” LaHood responded. “We need to reach certain contract obligations with the controllers. Air travel is back on par to prior 9/11. We're not making this up. We are required to cut $1 billion. We are going to do that unless Congress gets together to comprise.”