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Federal officials has announced that funds from a federal initiative that subsidizes airline routes to remote airfields are scheduled to end as soon as Sunday because of the ongoing government shutdown.

Federal transportation authorities indicated that subsidies under the Essential Air Service program are expected to expire as soon as Sunday after the agency moved 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 informing local areas about possible impacts.

The government allocates approximately $350 million in yearly financial support for the program.

In recent months, the administration suggested reducing financial support by $308m for the air service program, which has support among GOP legislators because it offers connectivity to predominantly Republican rural regions.

Throughout the first presidency of the former president, the White House suggested terminating the Essential Air Service initiative – but Congress opted to increase funding instead.

The program typically supports two return flights each day using 30- to 50-seat aircraft – or additional frequencies with smaller aircraft. Officials report that under the program, approximately 65 communities in the northern state receive service and 112 communities across the remaining states and the territory that otherwise might not receive any commercial air connectivity.

“All states across the country will be impacted,” the transportation secretary commented during a media briefing, noting the program had bipartisan support. “We don't have the funding for that initiative moving forward.”