The WP has been against demolishing wasteful spending from federal agencies like USAID, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and many, many more. Against getting rid of tons of federal govt bureaucrats who bring little to no value and/or are doing redundant jobs. Against waste in DEI, environmental justice, and grants. Against investigating all that waste in places like Minnesota and California. Waste that accounts for hundreds of billions, if not into over a trillion, dollars. But, the editorial board finally found something that upsets them
The Essential Air Service program, through which the government subsidizes money-losing commercial flights to tiny airports, was supposed to expire 38 years ago. Like so many zombie programs, this wasteful spending — nearly $700 million last year — persists because a small constituency, with outsize influence in the Senate, fights for it while few others care enough to push back.
That risks happening again. President Donald Trump’s new budget proposes $372 million in cuts to EAS, but key lawmakers in both parties declared that dead on arrival, including Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York), a member of the committee. Their partisan affiliations are less important than the number of airports in their states receiving subsidized service: four in Maine, five in New York.
The EAS program was part of the 1978 compromise that deregulated passenger air travel, allowing airlines to compete freely on price and scheduling. Congress feared service to smaller airports would disappear without government mandates, so the deal created EAS as a 10-year stopgap to soften the transition to the free market. As the deadline approached, legislators extended it another 10 years. Then, in 1996, they made the program permanent.
Once something is created in D.C. it’s almost impossible to get rid of
It was never necessary. From 1978 to 1982, the number of passengers on flights subsidized by EAS fell by over 50 percent, even as the total number of passengers increased nationwide, suggesting that passengers did not view the “essential” service as very essential.
Nevertheless, the government continues paying to keep flights operating with barely any passengers. The floor to continue receiving subsidies is an average of just 10 passengers per day.
How dare the govt help out those rural folks!
People in communities receiving EAS subsidies frequently don’t use the subsidized flights, preferring instead to drive to larger airports with more options, according to a 2025 study by Austin Drukker, an economist at the Federal Trade Commission. The people who do take the subsidized flights tend to be from out of town and have incomes 40 percent higher than local residents.
In other words, a program created to keep people in rural communities connected to air travel is now allowing the affluent to fly in and out of remote destinations, underwritten by taxpayers.
$700 million is nothing to sneeze at, but, usually Democrats tell us this is a big nothingburger when compared to the (bloated, wasteful, insane) federal budget. Why does the WPEB have such a hate-on for this one program enough to write an editorial on it?
Trump is not even trying to eliminate the subsidies, just reduce them. If D.C. was serious about fiscal restraint, that would be on the table. Instead, the zombie flights to nowhere will continue.
Nothing like a little TDS to end the piece, trying to say Trump is not serious. Even after allowing DOGE to take a chainsaw to federal agencies and the number employed by the government, the WPEB says Trump is not serious. The thing is, DC is not serious about fiscal restraint, hasn’t been for 50 years? 100 years? Every representative and senator has their own thing they want funded. Which, really, tends not to help Americans since earmarks were eliminated (at least earmarks, no matter how wasteful, were designed to go back to districts and states, rather than overseas).
To be clear, I fully support ending the subsidy, but, now I look forward to the WPEB telling us about more wasteful spending, especially the type that goes to foreign citizens, gets used to fund Democrat campaign coffers, and bloats the federal bureaucracy.
Yet for all of Big Donnie’s cuts in worthless spending like USAID and public broadcasting our debt is still skyrocketing. Now, he wants to double Deptartment of War spending!!
USAID cost the US $22 billion in 2024. For a whole year. Our “excursion” into Iran has cost twice that. So far. And has made the world LESS safe. Good job, Donnie. And trumpflation is costing Americans a billion. A day. Cuts to healthcare and other aid is coming too!!
On the other hand, the rich are getting much richer.
Remember when Bill Clinton and a Repug Congress had a balanced budget? Good times!
Thank God that Donnie is harassing Mexicans for your entertainment, otherwise you’d have nothing to cheer.
If not for Israel, the United States would have zero allies!!!
Teach whines about The Essential Air Service program, through which the government subsidizes money-losing commercial flights to tiny airports — nearly $700 million last year.
King Donald spends that much in 4 hours bombing Iran for Israel. Is that NOT wasteful, LOL? We also gave Israel $18 billion in military aid in 2024.
Donnie sees the American taxpayer as a piggy bank.
How effective were the DOGE Boys?
“Elon Musk’s companies, primarily SpaceX and Tesla, have secured at least $38 billion in U.S. federal contracts, loans, subsidies, and tax credits over the past two decades. SpaceX holds roughly $22 billion in government contracts for space launches and satellite services, while Tesla has benefited from billions in regulatory credits.”
“Over 50 active contracts with seven government agencies are expected to pay Musk’s companies an additional $11.8 billion in the coming years.”
WaPo is owned by Bezos who, like Musk, has billions in federal contracts (Amazon & Blue Origin). And the newspaper has lurched rightward.
Four Rimjob comments in a row that don’t make a lick of sense to anyone not suffering from the Dunning Kroger effect.
Bwaha! Lolgfy Loser!
MAGA47 Mullahfucker!
Over half USAID goes to buy food from Anererivan farmers
Mostly from red states
Drudge posted a story about sky rocketing electric bills costing more than mortgages some months
giving an example on WV
My bill in NYC last month was $25 for 650sqft
One time with August AC it hit $35
I opted to source from renewables this year abouyv10% cheaper. Last year 2% higher
johnnie boy not paying his fair share.
He lets the other rate payers pick up the tab.