San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz has become the face of the ongoing health and environmental catastrophe in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria wrecked havoc on the island.

After the hurricane made landfall, Cruz and President Donald Trump engaged in high-profile war of words over his administration's handling of the Puerto Rican humanitarian crisis.

Six weeks after the hurricane hit, Cruz came to Washington, D.C. to testify alongside FEMA Administrator Brock Long in front of the House Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, Rolling Stone reports.

However, just before the hearing was set to begin on Wednesday, it was canceled abruptly without explanation. 

Not to be deterred, Cruz met with several Democrats, and later members of the press.

"The story is not a good-news story. It is a life-and-death story. Survival cannot be our new way of life," Cruz said. "While the American people have had a big heart, President Trump has had a big mouth, and he has used it to insult the people of Puerto Rico."

Reports coming from Puerto Rico have painted a dire picture. Many on the island are still without potable water and electricity. Governor Ricardo Rosselló's office has stated that 82 percent of the island has water, but residents claim that percentage is nowhere near the truth.

According to the USA Today, Carmen Maldonado, mayor of the city of Morovis, said that despite the governor’s claims of improved water service, none of the 13 neighborhoods in her city has water.

Others say that the water that is available is unsafe to drink. Medical professionals who have journeyed to the island have reported a devastating number of people suffering from the unclean water.

Residents' symptoms have ranged from vomiting and diarrhea to conjunctivitis (pink eye), scabies and asthma. There have been an estimated 74 suspected cases of leptospirosis, which is caused by a dangerous waterborne bacteria, reported.

Cruz has been the territory's most outspoken critic of the Trump's administration's handling of the situation.

While in Washington this week, she didn't request a meeting with the president.

As for why her hearing was cancelled, Republicans stated that did not have enough time to prepare for Cruz. Homeland Security Chair Michael McCaul said that the meeting definitely wasn't cancelled because of Cruz' criticism of the president, and that instead of turning to the federal government for help, Puerto Ricans "have to lean on state and local [officials], and how good they are."

Democratic Illinois Representative Luis Gutierrez, who is of Puerto Rican descent, defended Cruz, and joined her in lambasting the president. 

"I don't think he cares. I just don't think he cares," said Gutierrez of Trump. "So you have to put Trump in the 'I don't give a sh*t about the people of Puerto Rico' column."

He added that the Puerto Rico has been treated differently than other disaster zones such as Texas and Florida.

"It is clear that when all is said and done that Puerto Rico will become a case study for everything that can go wrong and does go wrong when the American government needs to intervene and the American people need them most," Gutierrez said.