Government Announces Funding for Air Service to Rural Areas to Expire as Soon as Sunday
The Trump administration has announced that financial support from a US government program that subsidizes airline routes to rural airports are set to expire as early as this weekend because of the current federal funding lapse.
The US transportation department indicated that financial assistance under the Essential Air Service program are expected to expire as early as this weekend after the department moved unrelated funding from the Federal Aviation Administration as an advance.
The department is currently notifying airline operators about the financial gap and alerting local areas about potential effects.
Federal authorities allocates approximately $350 million in annual funding for the program.
In recent months, the White House suggested reducing financial support by $308 million for the air service program, which enjoys popularity among Republican lawmakers because it provides services to rural, largely Republican areas.
During the first presidency of Donald Trump, the White House suggested terminating the Essential Air Service program – but lawmakers opted to increase financial support instead.
The program typically supports two return flights daily using medium-sized planes – or additional frequencies with smaller aircraft. According to the department that under the program, approximately 65 communities in the northern state receive service and 112 communities across the remaining states and Puerto Rico that likely wouldn't have any commercial air connectivity.
“Every state across the country will feel the effects,” the transportation secretary stated during a media briefing, noting the program had support from both parties. “We lack the funding for that program going forward.”