The U.S. House of Representative approved a contentious farm bill on Thursday, which increases the crop insurance system subsidized by the taxpayer but neglected food stamps for the needy. The move defied a veto threat from the White House.

It took the lawmakers, majority of whom are Republicans, two hours of debate to discuss about its contents yet no amendments were permitted. The bill, which was 608-page thick, gained approval via a 216-208 vote with twelve Republicans opposing it and no Democrat voting in its favor.

The Republicans stated that food stamps, which are usually a component of the farm bill, would be tackled later. They added that the present priority is to look for ways to begin talks with the Senate regarding a compromise bill.

However, Democrats claimed that the true purpose of the move was to separate food stamps because of large cuts in funding.