U.S. Representative Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) predicted on the Sunday talk show Meet the Press that the much-feared automatic budget cuts know as sequester are going to happen, and blamed Democrats for not doing enough to stop it.

“We think these sequesters will happen because the Democrats have opposed our efforts to replace those cuts with others, and they’ve offered no alternatives,” Ryan said.

The sequester — which is the roughly $1.2 trillion worth of automatic spending cuts set to soon hit the Pentagon and other government agencies if lawmakers do not act — is likely, Ryan said, because of opposition from Democrats to Republican proposals for replacement cuts.

Following a deal on the fiscal cliff earlier this month, the cuts are slated to take place after March 1. When asked whether Republicans will use the continuing resolution, which expires March 27, and the threat of a government shutdown as potential leverage, Ryan said, “We're not interested in shutting the government down.” But he did not rule it out.