President Barack Obama is taking issue with those who say he hasn't been involved enough with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

In an interview recorded Monday for NBC's "Today" show, Obama says he has understood "from Day 1" that "it was going to be a major disaster." He says he was "down there a month ago before most of these talking heads were even paying attention to the Gulf."

He was also critical of BP's chief executive, Tony Hayward, for saying he wanted his "life back" and predicting that that the environmental impact of the spill would likely be "very, very modest."

Obama says, "He wouldn't be working for me after any of those statements."

Polls have suggested that most Americans think Obama has handled the crisis poorly, but Obama says he's "not concerned" about politics right now.

He says television images of spewing oil, sullied beaches and soaked pelicans are adding to people's frustration.

Meanwhile, Tony Hayward, the embattled CEO of BP, will make his first appearance on Capitol Hill since the catastrophic Gulf oil spill when he testifies before a congressional committee next week.

Hayward is scheduled to appear at a House Energy and Commerce oversight and investigations subcommittee hearing June 17. The subject of the hearing is the role of BP in the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill.

Hayward enraged some when he said, "I'd like my life back." He's sure to receive pointed questions from lawmakers about the cause of the accident and the response to it.

However, while the cap on the leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico is reducing the amount gushing out, but Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen says that doesn't mean things are going well.

As he puts it, "nothing good happens when oil is on the water."

Allen says the device collected more than 620,000 gallons of oil Monday.

But underwater video feeds continue to show a dark geyser coming from the pipe.

And water tests have confirmed that there are underwater oil plumes from the spill.

NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco says tests conducted at three sites by a University of South Florida research vessel confirmed oil as far as 3,300 feet below the surface 42 miles northeast of the well site. She says concentrations are "very low."

She says oil found in another sample 142 miles southeast of the well was "not consistent" with oil from the spill.

The government is also pushing BP to work faster getting money to people and businesses harmed by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen didn't hesitate when asked what BP is not doing that they need to get better at. He says BP needs to improve its performance in the damage claims department.

Allen says the oil giant is starting to make partial payments to individuals but that needs to become more routine so that people can count on it.

Business claims are more complicated, requiring much more paperwork and processing and BP is bringing in outside help.

Meanwhile, a member of the team trying to determine how much oil is gushing from BP's broken wellhead says the ultimate figure could be higher than current estimates.

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