The Shutdown That Wasn’t

One of the first posts on this blog was about Essential Air Services, a massive subsidy for tiny airports in rural red areas. My aunt lives in a small town in Montana that’s served by Cape AIr, which offers $39 one-way tickets (non-refundable) to Billings. Billings is the major referral center for Montana, and she needs to fly there occasionally for medical care. She also flies to Billings to catch a plane to see her daughter.

One of the upper Plains and Mountain West states “things” that Cletus safaris don’t mention much is mobility: when you’re a hundred or more miles from specialty medical care, you need a way to get there. And, when you’re in your 80s or 90s, driving that distance is often an issue. Most towns have no bus or air service, so these older folks need a ride.

So when my aunt told her brother, my dad, that Cape Air was curtailing service to her small town, it’s a big problem for her. I was ready to write a post here about how that finally happened, that the millions of dollars poured into rural airports was coming to an end. But I researched it, and Cape Air swears up and down that the shutdown won’t affect its service.

I believe them. I believe that the Trump Administration has reached out to key rural service providers and told them to hold on, that they would be made whole when the shutdown is over.

This is another indicator that this isn’t a “normal” shutdown. Our predictions about shutdowns are shaped by a history where the players are restricted by laws and norms. This shutdown is different from those. They’re going to pick and choose who’s affected by the shutdowns, and it won’t be members of their tribe. They want Democrats to suffer, and Republicans to prosper, so Cape Air will keep flying.