The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill loosening restrictions on embryonic stem cell reserch. The 238-194 vote, not wide enough to be veto-proof, set the stage for a clash between social conservatives and Republican moderates.

The bill, which provides federal funds for research, was firmly opposed by President George W. Bush. Ahead of the vote the administration warned the bill “would require federal taxpayer dollars to be used to encourage the ongoing destruction of nascent human life.”