Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Tom Perez Thomas Edward PerezClinton’s top five vice presidential picks Government social programs: Triumph of hope over evidence Labor’s 'wasteful spending and mismanagement” at Workers’ Comp MORE and 10 state lawmakers from Florida distributed aid in Puerto Rico on Monday, one day before President Trump's visit to the hurricane-ravaged island.

Perez, Florida Democratic Party Chairman Stephen Bittel and the state lawmakers touched down in Ponce with two planes carrying supplies, the DNC said in a news release.

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"Our number one priority should be helping the people of Puerto Rico recover from one of the worst natural disasters in history,” Perez said in the statement. “That's why Democrats joined together to travel to Ponce and deliver critical supplies. We must do everything we can to stand united as a country and help our fellow Americans. They're counting on us."

Trump on Tuesday is en route to the island, which has been devastated by Hurricane Maria. Many of Puerto Rico’s 3.4 million residents remain without power and are in need of food and water in the wake of the storm, which made landfall nearly two weeks ago.

Democrats have been sharply critical of the Trump administration's response to the natural disaster. The president has bristled at the criticism, saying that the federal government needs more support from local officials and that there are unique challenges in distributing aid across a disaster zone on an island.