The House on Tuesday approved a resolution sponsored by U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank to condemn socialism in a largely party-line vote that the Colorado Republican characterized as a chance for lawmakers to “stand firm” against an ideology making inroads among Democrats.

The nonbinding resolution, HR 1490, also included a call for the “enactment” of GOP-led legislation that would tighten requirements around voting. It passed in a 220-192 vote, with eight Democrats joining every Republican voting in favor. Two Democrats voted “present.”

Members of Colorado’s House delegation split along party lines, with Crank and fellow Republicans Jeff Hurd, Lauren Boebert and Gabe Evans supporting the resolution and Democrats Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse, Jason Crow and Brittany Pettersen voting against it.

Crank, who introduced the resolution late last week, said during floor debate that it was a “simple up or down vote” on the platform of the Democratic Socialists of America, a left-leaning group whose candidates have recently ousted Democratic incumbents in a handful of congressional primaries, including this summer in Denver, where Melat Kiros defeated DeGette.

“The Democrat Socialists of America was a fringe movement a decade ago,” Crank said. “Now they’re growing within the Democrat ranks, winning primaries and threatening the foundation of what makes this country the greatest on earth.”

Speaking in favor of the resolution, U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock, a California Republican, said the message “comes down to four words: Freedom rocks, socialism sucks!”

The legislation also called for enacting the stalled Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, dubbed the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID to cast a ballot. The House has passed the bill multiple times, but it’s languished in the Senate amid complaints that its provisions would create unnecessary hurdles to voting.

Opponents called Crank’s resolution a waste of time, pointing to another resolution passed by the House last year that condemned socialism and the chamber’s repeated votes in favor of the election-related legislation.

U.S. Rep. Joseph Morelle, the New York Democrat who led the debate against the resolution, called the vote a distraction from considering more pressing issues in an election year.

“So this is the important work this Congress is taking up today,” Morelle said after noting that the House had just returned from a five-week recess. “Passing a resolution that calls for the passing of a bill we’ve already passed, and calling for the enactment of a resolution which we’ve already enacted.”

Added Morelle: “I guess we’ll keep saying it because we have nothing else to do, and because we’re not prepared to address the rising costs of gas and groceries and the challenges that families are facing.”

U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, a Wisconsin Democrat, mocked the resolution for appearing to ignore the Trump administration’s acquisition of stakes in corporations, which is typically a tenet of socialism.

Following the resolution’s adoption, Crank charged in a release that the party-line vote showed that “the highest levels of Democrat leadership” had refused to denounce DSA out of “fear of political retribution among their ranks.”

Earlier on Tuesday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, said in a statement that he planned to vote against the resolution, citing the inclusion of the SAVE America Act instead of measures to “make life more affordable for everyday Americans, describing the legislation as “the latest MAGA effort to rig the midterm elections.”

Crank said in a statement after his bill’s passage that it was “imperative” that members of Congress “recommit ourselves to the Constitution and stand firm against this insidious push for socialism.”

“Ten to 15 years ago,” he added, “a resolution like this would’ve passed the House unanimously. The DSA is a threat to the American values that make our nation great. This evening’s vote showed who stands for freedom, and others who stand with socialism.”