By a vote of 240-179 largely along party lines, the U.S. House voted Thursday to repeal the federal estate tax, better known by opponents as the “death tax.”

Co-sponsor Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE) told his colleagues that repealing the tax is a top priority for farmers and ranchers in his state and around the nation. “Agriculture, particularly raising cattle and crops such as corn, is a land and capital intensive process…their assets are the land and equipment they use to help feed our nation and the world,” said Smith.

Democrats like Jim McDermott of Washington state argued against the repeal, saying that it would only benefit the very wealthiest of farmers, using an example given by the Republicans of a 15,000 acre Texas farm. “That’s a five by five square mile farm, that’s more than the island of Manhattan,” said McDermott. “A farm at the very top of the income scale experiences unprecedented wealth and prosperity.”

Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) said that was a farm that had been in a family for five generations. “It started small and they built up over years and years,” said Brady, noting that the heirs had to sell off two-thirds of it to pay the taxes in order to keep some of it in the family.

Listen to the exchange here: Estate tax repeal debate - Reps. McDermott (D-WA) and Brady (R-TX)

While the bill has little chance of passage in the Senate and faces a presidential veto threat, most agricultural organizations were pleased to see the House action.