The Trump administration is injecting $41 million into the Essential Air Service that subsidizes rural airports in predominately Republican-led areas of the country as the federal government shutdown persists.
The program incentivizes airlines to serve unprofitable passenger routes in areas with limited access. House and Senate Republicans represent 156 out of 163 airports the service supports as of October 2024, according to the Transportation Department.
Democrats are leveraging airport funding concerns alongside health care to gain political ground by arguing the service can remain operational, as it did during the 35-day funding lapse that ended in January 2019. Disruptions to ...