With talk of budget cuts swirling in Washington, the U.S. House's top Democrat swung through Brighton with a Colorado congresswoman to meet with seniors worried about the future of programs for the aged.  The backdrop was a Republican proposal for budget cuts that aims to rein in "excessive" federal spending and "unsustainable debt" by reducing or reviewing some Medicare and Social Security benefits.

Democrats don't support such cuts, Democratic Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo told the group.

“Social Security and Medicare benefits are not places to save money,” she said. “They are places to make sure that hard working families get the benefits they have paid into for decades.”

Caraveo was elected last year in Colorado's newest House District, District 8. She and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, were at Brighton's Eagle View Adult Center on Aug. 22. The roundtable drew more than 50 people from around Northern Colorado.

Yet many Republicans views' contrast with Democrats on the issue. The Republican Study Committee's "statement of priorities" for 2024 seeks to eliminate $16 trillion in spending to balance the federal budget in the next seven years.

To do that, the RSC budget would reduce Medicare premiums and states the proposal "would not affect benefits for any senior in or near retirement and would prevent insolvency for the next decade."

"Years of inaction and overspending have put us in this position," the RSC argued in the proposal.

The RSC also said that without action, Social Security will no longer be sustainable at current levels.

"Retirement benefits as they are currently structured cost more than the revenue streams that pay for it," the RSC proposal said.

In Brighton, Jeffries noted that Republicans are in control of the House. Democrats do not "have control of the gravel."

“These important programs are part of the fabric of American society,” Jeffries said. “These are not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue, it's an American issue and we should be able to find common ground with the entirety of the political spectrum.”

Jeffries is repeating that message and other Democratic talking points amid Congress' August recess. He also visited Boulder for discussion about gun violence hosted by Democratic Congressman Joe Neguse. He was also scheduled to tour a Broomfield food pantry with Democratic Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen.

Jeffries said the Congress will be back in session after Labor Day.

Another topic that came up centered around the cost of prescription drugs. Caraveo touted the benefits of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices in hopes of lowering costs.

“They also did the incredibly important work of looking at insulin costs,” Caraveo said. “For people with a family member with diabetes, the out-of-pocket costs can be exorbitant. For seniors, those will now be capped at $35 per month. It's incredibly important and hopefully we can continue that work for other Americans.”