On Thursday, President Joe Biden publicly called on Capitol Hill lawmakers to "immediately" return to Washington and provide additional funding for disaster relief.

Yet House Speaker Mike Johnson insists that Congress allocated enough money last month to last until November. 

Johnson's office says White House should focus on using existing funds

That's according to a statement provided to Politico on Thursday by Athina Lawson, who serves as a spokesperson for the House speaker.

"To be clear: Congress will act again upon its return in November to address funding needs and ensure those impacted receive the necessary resources," Lawson said.

Johnson slams door on Congress returning for disaster aid https://t.co/sEFWYKP7sY

— POLITICO (@politico) October 10, 2024

“In the meantime, the Administration needs to focus on getting the existing and sufficient disaster relief out to the millions of Americans in dire need and work to assess the extent and nature of the damage," the spokesperson continued.

"Until the Administration does the work to provide an assessment, any action by Congress will be premature," Lawson went on to add.

Florida Republican says he and colleagues will return if money is short

That position was echoed by Florida Republican Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, who chairs the House State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee.

Díaz-Balart told Politico that members of Congress can deal with disaster funding in a fiscal 2025 funding package or another funding extension when lawmakers reconvene next month.

"The president of the United States says we have enough money. ... If that changes, we’ll have to go back, but right now, from what I've seen, if the money’s there, we don't have to come back before we have to finish the appropriations bills," Díaz-Balart was quoted as saying.

"Obviously if the money won’t be there all of a sudden, I’ll be the first to demand that we come back," the Florida Republican insisted.

However, fellow Florida Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna recently joined with Democrats in supporting a new disaster funding bill.

FEMA head says agency can "support all of the needs" of hurricane victims

Meanwhile, Politico noted that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) head Deanne Criswell told reporters on Wednesday is able to "support all of the needs of everyone that was impacted by Helene and Milton."

Criswell explained that FEMA has "gone through about $9 billion already" while pointing out how "there's just over $11 billion in the Disaster Relief Fund."

The FEMA director went on to declare that she is "going to have to evaluate how quickly we’re burning the remaining dollars."