“I think we’ll avoid default. I think we’ll stumble toward a larger deal that will continue to narrow the deficit,” said the lawmaker. “I don’t think it will be as grand as the grand bargain.”

In short, the GOP member, who spoke on the condition he not be quoted by name in order to speak more frankly, said during an hour talk that members of his party might be willing to vote to end some or all of the sequester, in exchange for changes to Social Security and Medicare. ,,,

The lawmaker said non-discretionary spending, or mandatory spending that’s locked in each year and not appropriated by Congress, could “hold the savings of the sequester,” while Republicans could “let the belt out a couple notches on the discretionary side of the budget.”