With no deal reached in Washington, $85 billion in federal spending cuts could go into effect Friday. President Obama tried meeting with Congressional leaders Friday, but was unable to reach an agreement. YNN’s Megan Cruz reports.

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TROY, N.Y. -- As kids at School 16 in Troy celebrate National Read Across America Day, Anita Decelle sounds off about the sequester. Six hundred teaching jobs in the state are at risk of being cut.

"There's a shortage in teachers already as it is," said Decelle, who has a daughter in high school. "Schools have suffered a lot."

Congress had until midnight Friday to avoid sequestration. These across the board cuts target everything from defense to education.

The goal: To curb the national debt, which, right now, is at $16 trillion.

A local lawmaker says sequestration isn't the answer.

"It's frustrating because it takes a challenge and responds to it in the weakest fashion. In a mindless sort of approach and we need better than that," said Congressman Paul Tonko. "We need to take a scalpel to the situation."

The Congressman took part in the reading event Friday, back after failed sequester talks in Washington. He blames those across the aisle.

"They have stood by silently while they have professed that they would be bad cuts but they have done nothing to avoid them," he said. "And worse yet, did not come to the table, have sent us home."

Republicans fire back. In a statement, Congressman Chris Gibson said in part, "These continued fiscal crises are good for no one and we can do better. I have been disappointed with the President’s failure to lead in these discussions."

Troy City School District Brian Howard said, "It's frustrating. I think they're showing no demonstration of concern about the children and they certainly aren't addressing the needs of a school like Troy that has very few resources left and a high rate of poverty."

Both Tonko and Gibson say they do want their parties to agree on an alternative. The sooner they do away with the sequester, the less damage they'll have to try to reverse.

President Obama says some of the cuts will take effect immediately, the middle class feeling the most pain.

For a complete list of the other cuts slated for New York State, visit www.whitehouse.gov.