EXCLUSIVE Kevin McCarthy says Republicans ARE unified behind plan to raise the debt limit until 2024

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is confident that House Republicans will pass a bill to prevent a debt crisis, while accusing President Biden and the Senate of “ignoring” a rapidly approaching crisis if negotiations do not resume.

The speaker gave a speech earlier Monday to Wall Street traders, CEOs and other financial leaders urging debt ceiling negotiations with the Biden administration, which has pulled out of the process over opposition to cuts proposed by the GOP.

McCarthy, R-Calif., spoke to DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview off the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) about the viability of his proposal.

“Yes,” McCarthy replied when asked directly if he has the votes in his narrow 222-213 GOP majority to approve a package that would raise the debt limit through 2024.

“We talked about it and it all comes together,” the speaker continued. “And we see that the Republicans are willing to act where the president doesn’t really want to act.”

McCarthy, during his remarks, outlined a possible package that will be voted on in “weeks.”

The speaker insisted the purpose of his speech at the NYSE was to “educate” Wall Street on what is actually happening in Washington, D.C.

“In the coming weeks, the House will vote on a bill to raise the debt ceiling to next year, save taxpayers trillions of dollars, make us less dependent on China, curb our high inflation — all without Social Security and Medicare,” McCarthy said. said.

The speaker emphasized that the purpose of his speech at the NYSE, which referenced a 1985 speech by former President Ronald Reagan on the economy, was to “inform” Wall Street about what is actually happening in Washington, D.C., about negotiations – – which has not progressed for months.

“Well, it was just to inform them that the president ignored this for 75 days. I think it’s important, especially as we take on this challenge, that they know exactly what’s going on,” he told DailyMail.com.

“I believe in transparency, openness, just giving the facts and that’s what today was about,” McCarthy continued. “I don’t think it will be the last time I give [Wall Street] an update on where we are now and where we are going.”

The White House pushed back on the speaker’s tactics, saying in a statement Monday morning that there is only one “responsible solution” to the debt limit, and that is to address it “immediately without exaggeration.”

Spokesman Andrew Bates accused Republicans of “hostage-taking,” echoing Biden’s February comments that the GOP is “holding the economy hostage” by negotiating cuts.

The speaker criticized Biden during his speech, saying he has done “nothing” except to leave the US debt as a “ticking time bomb that will explode unless we take serious, responsible action.”

McCarthy also warned that even if the House can pass a bill, it will be up to the Democrat-led Senate to act, which is unlikely to happen.

‘Well, we’ll send [the debt ceiling bill] to the Senate, and the Senate will have to act, it will not be the House,” McCarthy told DailyMail.com.

“The sad thing is I didn’t see the Senate do anything. If they proposed doing a clean debt ceiling, why didn’t they do it? They haven’t done anything, so it seems to me that with the looming debt ceiling, only one room is working on it, while the White House and Senate are ignoring it.”

McCarthy spoke with Citadel Securities Specialist Trader Peter Giacchi on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange

Speaker McCarthy warned that even if the House can pass a bill, it will be for the Senate to act, which is unlikely to happen

During his speech, McCarthy rarely offered bipartisan praise for Senator Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat who has called for negotiations between the administration and Congress to reach a swift agreement on the debt ceiling.

“There are a number of senators I’ve talked to about this, so I think there’s a lot of desire and will to get this done,” McCarthy said.

A passage in the Senate faces an uphill battle, as the Democratic caucus has 51 seats to the Republicans’ 49.

As for next priorities once the drama over the debt limit dies down, McCarthy tells DailyMail.com the GOP will work to “secure our border” and then look at the credit process.