WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats say President Donald Trump is not acknowledging the gravity of the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-NY, says she is concerned that Trump's continued tweets about NFL players show he doesn't grasp the severity of the crisis.

She warned Trump that, "If you don't take this crisis seriously this is going to be your Katrina," referring to criticism of President George W. Bush following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Velazquez also said she was "offended and insulted" by Trump's tweet that Puerto Rico's public debt contributed to the crisis.

Rep. Joe Crowley, D-NY, called it "absolutely ridiculous" for Trump to mention debt "when people are suffering and dying. Here's a president who's used bankruptcy throughout his entire career."

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11:11 a.m.

President Donald Trump says he'll visit hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico next Tuesday.

Trump announced the visit after the administration came under criticism for its response to the damage on the island that is home to more than 3 million U.S. citizens. The island has been coping with shortages of food, drinking water, electricity and various forms of communication after Hurricane Maria struck earlier this month.

Trump said Tuesday is the earliest he can visit without disrupting recovery operations.

He says he may also visit the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Trump says Puerto Rico is important to him. He says Puerto Ricans are "great people and we need to help them."