WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration's proposal for significant cuts to the Essential Air Service program, which includes Denver Air Connection flights serving the San Luis Valley Regional Airport, could potentially ground flights. 

Congress created the Essential Air Service in 1978 after the airline industry was deregulated. This was originally a temporary ten-year measure to ensure rural airports would continue to have service to larger airports, such as the San Luis Valley Regional Airport to Denver. 

In a May 2, letter from Russel Vought with the Office of Management and Budget to Senator Susan Collins, Vought provided President Trump's recommendations on discretionary funding levels for fiscal year (FY) 2026 

The 46-page letter outlined increases and decreases in federal funding and included this synopsis of the program" 

"The EAS program funnels taxpayer dollars to airlines to subsidize half-empty flights from airports that are within easy commuting distance from each other, while also failing to assist most rural air travelers effectively. Spending on programs is out of control, more than doubling between 2021 and 2025. The Budget reins in EAS subsidies by proposing a mix of reforms to adjust eligibility and subsidy rates to help rural communities' air transportation needs more sustainably. This would save American taxpayers over $300 million from 2025." 

The letter includes increases to other transportation programs, including $824 million to upgrade FAA radar facilities. Per the letter, "The Budget delivers a historic $5 billion investment in the modernization of the systems and facilities that comprise U.S. National Airspace System (NAS). In addition to a previously provided $1 billion advance appropriation, the Budget requests an additional $4 billion for NAS upgrades, including a $450 million down payment on a multiyear, multi-billion-dollar radar replacement program. A substantial amount will also be requested as mandatory funding through reconciliation." 

The San Luis Valley Airport in Alamosa is served by Denver Air Connection with flights to Denver, the airline also serves Pueblo, and Cortez with flights to Denver 

Jon Coleman with the airline said this, "Denver Air recognizes that the current environment in Washington has a focus on cost savings to taxpayers. We completely agree that proper stewardship of taxpayer dollars is a good thing. Essential Air Service delivers an immeasurable economic impact on communities served by the program. 

We are confident that our elected officials in Colorado understand how "essential" the program is for the people of Alamosa and that our representatives will continue to advocate for us."   

Ally Sullivan, Deputy Press Secretary for Governor Jared Polis, told the Valley Courier, "Colorado's regional airports play a critical role in our local and rural economies, supporting business and tourism. Governor Polis hopes that the Trump administration will prioritize our rural communities and not make unnecessary cuts that harm Coloradans and rural economies."  

Senator John Hickenlooper told the Valley Courier, "Air service to our rural airports is not government waste. We'll fight tooth and nail to protect funding for the Essential Air Service program to keep our Colorado communities and businesses connected. " 

Larkin Parker, Communications Director for Senator Michael Bennet, said, "This has always been a top priority for us in the appropriations process, and this year is no different. Senator Bennet will continue to advocate to fully find the Essential Air Service." 

Congressman Jeff Hurd's office did not respond to requests for comment to this article. All three of the airports in Colorado which have EAS service are within Hurd's congressional district. 

The conservative leaning Heritage Foundation report, the "Mandate for Leadership," commonly known as Project 2025, takes this position on the service, "Federal subsidies are also distorting the commercial market. The Essential Air Service (EAS) program subsidizes flights to 200 small airports that are not otherwise commercially viable. The program was established in the 1970s as a temporary measure to cushion deregulation. It has since been made permanent. Finally ending the program would free hundreds of pilots to serve larger markets with more passengers. A new Administration could reform regulations to encourage airports in lower-served areas of the nation." 

In 2024, Denver Air Connection received an EAS subsidy of $5,679,884 and $6,077,476 for a second year to serve Alamosa. The new budget proposal of $308 million for EAS, represents a decrease of 47.9%. That year, the San Luis Valley Regional Airport had slightly over 12,000 passenger enplanements. 

EAS is funded primarily through fees collected by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from foreign air carriers using U.S. airspace and through the Airport and Airways Trust Fund, which collects excise taxes from passenger ticket sales. 

In a statement to the Valley Courier, The Rural Airline Association wrote, "RAA understands that the President's budget is a starting point. We will work with the White House and Congress to show the Essential Air Service program is an important economic force multiplier for small and rural communities – driving at least $134 billion in economic impact, supporting one million jobs, and providing $36 billion in local wages and corresponding tax revenues, residents with the rest of the country.  

As we work to protect this crucial investment, we welcome a collaborative effort to review and revitalize the program, ensuring it delivers on its promise to keep remote communities connected through safe and reliable air service." 

The FAA is a money-generating agency. The essential air service program is funded primarily through fees collected by the agency from foreign air carriers using U.S. airspace and through the Airport and Airways Trust Fund, which collects excise taxes from passenger ticket sales. The total annual revenue for the fund is over $1.4 billion. In 2020, the FAA collected overflight fees for the essential service of almost $150 million. 

The EAS provides many benefits to rural America. For people experiencing health issues who need medical services in Denver, the 55-minute flight to and from Denver can be an enormous help. Many rural hospitals from across the country rely on the EAS to bring medical professionals to their patients. 

Since its inception, the EAS program has been the target of proposed budget reductions, and in 2017, the Trump Administration attempted and failed to defund the program entirely.  

The program consistently has one core of constituents: members of Congress who fly home to any of the 177 rural airports served by the program.