President Barack Obama will sit down Friday at the White House with bipartisan congressional leaders to try and hammer out a way to avoid the cuts.

The meeting, however, is scheduled for after the $85 billion in cuts go in effect.

Unlike the fiscal cliff or a potential government shutdown, there is little urgency in Washington.

“The sequester was the president’s idea. The sequester did not envision any additional tax increases,” Sen. Mitch McConnell said.

“House Republicans have declared that their entire strategy is to sit on the sidelines instead of working with us to pass something to replace the harsh austerity of the sequester that they voted for,” said Sen. Harry Reid.

An ABC News, Washington Post poll found a majority of Americans disprove of the way the president and congressional Republicans are handling federal spending.

But, it’s the GOP who is getting worse marks.

On Tuesday, Obama visited a shipyard in Newport News, Va., to highlight the real world impact of these spending cuts.

“There is no reason why we can’t come together and find a sensible way to reduce the deficit over the long term without affecting vital services, without hurting families,” Obama said.

The cuts mean furloughs for civilian defense department workers across the nation and a 20 percent reduction in pay.

For more on the possible sequestration cuts, click here.