(CNN) The Trump administration Wednesday granted Wisconsin's request to impose work requirements in its Medicaid program -- the first such approval for a state that has not fully expanded Medicaid.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican who is battling to keep his job, hailed the move. Health care has become a central focus of the race, with Walker promising to protect those with pre-existing conditions even as he pushed for work requirements and supported a lawsuit that seeks to invalidate Obamacare.

"We're removing barriers to work to help Wisconsinites transition from government dependence to true independence!" he tweeted.

Thanks to @POTUS and @SeemaCMS for approving Wisconsin's BadgerCare Reform Waiver! We're removing barriers to work to help Wisconsinites transition from government dependence to true independence! #RewardingWork pic.twitter.com/g1TVDmr9D3 — Governor Walker (@GovWalker) October 31, 2018

The move also comes as the administration is defending two other waiver approvals in court. A US district judge voided federal approval of work requirements in Kentucky in June, just days before the mandate was set to begin. And three consumer groups filed suit in August to halt the requirement that's already gone into effect in Arkansas , where more than 8,000 low-income residents lost their coverage in the first few months.

Administration officials, however, maintain that these approvals are rooted in compassion and help Americans achieve self-sufficiency -- a long-held conservative view when it comes to lifting people out of poverty. Seema Verma, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator, said that she recognizes that some people disagree with work requirements, but the agency feels that local policy makers should craft ways to help their communities.

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