Story highlights One Florida Democrat told the President: "Don't let this be another Katrina"

Members of Congress are organizing a trip to the hurricane-ravaged island

(CNN) Bipartisan lawmakers who were planning a Friday trip to Puerto Rico to survey damage from Hurricane Maria were denied a plane by federal authorities until after President Donald Trump's visit to the island next week.

Florida Democratic Rep. Darren Soto said the travel plans were bumped to Sunday and then cancelled, and "now we've been told that we will have no federal assets available to us until after the Tuesday trip by the President."

"Mr. President we fear you are grossly underestimating the devastation down there. We need urgency, not talks -- and we can't wait until Tuesday for you to go down there," Soto said at a news conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

"Don't let this be another Katrina," the Florida Democrat warned, adding: "the people of Puerto Rico are dying, the people of the Virgin Islands are dying. They are out of water, they are out of food, they are out of gas, hospitals need generators and these are American citizens."

CNN has reached out to the White House for comment and has not yet gotten a response.

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