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Federal officials has announced that financial support from a federal initiative that subsidizes commercial air service to rural airports are set to expire as soon as Sunday due to the ongoing government shutdown.

Federal transportation authorities stated that financial assistance under the Essential Air Service program are expected to expire as early as this weekend after the agency transferred unrelated funding from the Federal Aviation Administration as an advance.

The department is in the process of alerting airline operators about the financial gap and alerting local areas about possible impacts.

Federal authorities allocates approximately $350m in yearly financial support for the program.

Earlier this year, the administration suggested reducing funding by $308m for the Essential Air Service, which enjoys popularity among Republican lawmakers because it offers connectivity to rural, largely Republican areas.

During the first presidency of Donald Trump, the White House proposed eliminating the Essential Air Service program – but lawmakers chose to boost financial support instead.

This initiative typically subsidizes two round trips each day using medium-sized planes – or more frequent flights with smaller aircraft. Officials report that under the program, approximately 65 communities in the northern state receive service and 112 locations across the remaining states and the territory that otherwise might not receive any commercial air connectivity.

“All states nationwide will feel the effects,” the transportation chief commented during a media briefing, noting the service had support from both parties. “We lack the funding for that program going forward.”