Washington (CNN) -- Absent an unforeseen agreement, $85 billion in widely disliked spending cuts begin to take effect Friday. The cuts are a product of the sequester, which Congress and President Barack Obama agreed to in hopes of making such slashing so unpalatable that it forces them to reach an alternative. So what did many lawmakers do the day before the painful cuts take effect? Skip town. "I think the sequester is crazy, I think the president had to show more leadership, Congress should do more," said Rep. Peter King, a Republican heading back to New York. "But just to sit here by myself serves no purpose."
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NEW: "Just to sit here by myself serves no purpose," says GOP congressman leaving D.C.
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Obama and Hill leaders are set to meet Friday, but hopes for progress are low
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Senate rejects competing Democratic and Republican alternatives to the current cuts
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Republicans, Democrats blame each other for $85 billion in widely disliked spending cuts
@placeholder criticized Republicans for not even sticking around when the cuts start coming; Republicans, in turn, blasted Democrats for not stepping up to do more to reign in spending.