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The Trump administration has announced that funds from a US government program that supports airline routes to remote airfields are set to expire as early as this weekend because of the ongoing government shutdown.

Federal transportation authorities indicated that financial assistance under the Essential Air Service program are likely to end as early as this weekend after the agency transferred unrelated funding from the Federal Aviation Administration as an temporary measure.

The department is currently notifying airline operators about the financial gap and alerting local areas about possible impacts.

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

In recent months, the administration suggested reducing funding by $308m for the Essential Air Service, which has support among GOP legislators because it provides services to rural, largely Republican areas.

Throughout the first presidency of Donald Trump, the White House suggested terminating the Essential Air Service initiative – but Congress opted to increase financial support instead.

This initiative typically supports two round trips each day using medium-sized planes – or more frequent flights with smaller planes. Officials report that under the program, approximately 65 areas in Alaska have air access and 112 communities across the other 49 states and the territory that likely wouldn't have any commercial air connectivity.

“All states nationwide will be impacted,” the transportation chief commented during a press conference, observing the service had bipartisan support. “We don't have the funding for that initiative going forward.”