The U.S. Department of Transportation announced it has secured $41 million in additional funding to sustain the Essential Air Service (EAS) program as the federal government shutdown continues.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the EAS was in danger of shutting down due to funding lapses. The additional funding should fund the program through early November, he said. EAS is a lifeline to the country’s rural communities and provides subsidies to air carriers to operate out of rural airports for routes that are not profitable. The program connects rural communities with larger airports, providing them with access to work, medical necessities and commercial goods that might otherwise have been inaccessible.
“Democrats are putting their wish list for illegal immigrants over the needs of smaller, American communities relying on services like EAS to connect their rural neighborhoods with vital services and opportunities,” Duffy said. “Democrats must reopen the government to ensure these necessary programs don’t lapse.”
On Oct. 6, the US DOT notified EAS-eligible communities and air carriers providing EAS that the government shutdown could trigger a potential shortfall of appropriated funding for EAS contracts and Alternate Essential Air Service (AEAS) grants. If funding lapses, the DOT said it will suspend the contractual obligations of the air carriers that provide EAS and will suspend reimbursement under AEAS grants until the appropriated funding is restored, and full budgetary authority is reinstated.