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Federal officials has announced that financial support from a US government program that subsidizes commercial air service to rural airports are scheduled to end 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 likely to end as early as this weekend after the department transferred separate financial resources from the Federal Aviation Administration as an temporary measure.

Transportation officials is in the process of alerting carriers about the financial gap and alerting communities about potential effects.

The government allocates approximately $350 million in annual funding for the program.

In recent months, the administration proposed cutting funding by $308m for the Essential Air Service, which has support among GOP legislators because it offers connectivity to predominantly Republican rural regions.

Throughout the initial term of Donald Trump, the White House suggested terminating the Essential Air Service program – but Congress chose to boost financial support instead.

The program typically subsidizes two return flights daily using medium-sized planes – or additional frequencies with smaller planes. According to the department that under the program, approximately 65 areas in the northern state receive service and 112 communities across the other 49 states and the territory that otherwise might not receive any commercial air connectivity.

“Every state nationwide will be impacted,” the transportation secretary stated during a media briefing, observing the service had bipartisan support. “We lack the funding for that program going forward.”