To address these issues, the 1981 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) eliminated Puerto Rico from the national Food Stamp program and created the Nutrition Assistance Program for Puerto Rico as a block grant to provide more administrative flexibility to the Commonwealth while reducing Federal expenditures.[11][2][13] After a year of studies and design, it commenced operations on July 1, 1982 with an annual appropriation of $825 million.[11][4][5]