The Guardian corrects figure in report on looming US food stamp crisis after misstating scale of federal cuts

The Guardian has corrected its October 26 article, “Americans brace for food stamps to run out: ‘The greatest hunger catastrophe since the Great Depression’,” after it misstated the time frame over which $187 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would take effect.

The piece, written by Eric Berger, warned that nearly 42 million Americans could lose access to food assistance if the government shutdown persisted beyond 1 November. It described the crisis as potentially the “greatest hunger catastrophe since the Great Depression,” quoting Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America.

In its original version, the article incorrectly stated that the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act had eliminated $187 billion in SNAP funding through 2024. The Guardian issued a correction clarifying that the cuts extend through 2034, not just a single year ahead — a crucial distinction that changes the projected depth and duration of the funding shortfall.

That correction matters because compressing the timeframe to 2024 exaggerated the immediacy of the fiscal impact, implying a more sudden collapse in benefits than is actually legislated. While the revised figure still represents a profound long-term reduction in food aid, the earlier error risked fuelling panic among recipients and misrepresenting the mechanics of the federal cuts.

The Guardian’s updated article makes clear that SNAP funding reductions are spread over nearly a decade, though advocates warn that the ongoing shutdown could trigger an abrupt loss of benefits even before those planned cuts take full effect.