Trump administration

Federal Court Strikes Down Trump Administration's Medicaid Work Requirements

The ruling blocks a marquee issue for the president

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Evan Vucci/AP

A federal appeals court rejected a Trump administration rule that allowed Arkansas and other states to impose work requirements on its low-income residents who received Medicaid benefits, further blocking a marquee issue for the president.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Friday that the White House had acted unlawfully and that Health Secretary Alex Azar's approval of the program, known as Arkansas Works, was "arbitrary and capricious."

Judge David Sentelle referred to the original Medicaid statute in his opinion, which he wrote "identifies its primary purpose rather than a laundry list" of secondary goals and only aims "to provide health-care coverage to populations that otherwise could not afford it."

For the full story, go to NBC News

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