Republican leaders hailed the vote as a victory for farmers and small-business owners who may otherwise be forced to sell assets after the death of a spouse or a parent to pay taxes on property that has already been taxed. The White House called it a giveaway to a few thousand of the nation's wealthiest families and said it would raise federal deficits.

The vote was the first in a decade to eliminate what Republicans call the death tax, and it stands little chance of making it out of the Senate, much less past the president's veto pen. But each side saw an opportunity to portray the other as out of touch on an issue that resonates beyond the few who would directly benefit.

"Family farmers, ranchers and small-business owners work tirelessly to create jobs in our communities, put food on our tables and, God willing, have something to pass on to their children and grandchildren," the House speaker, John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio, said in a statement. "Taking away that opportunity with a massive death tax bill is simply wrong."

In a column in USA Today, Representatives Kevin Brady of Texas and Steve Scalise of Louisiana, both Republicans, cited estimates that repealing the tax would create 139,000 jobs. "The 'death tax' is an immoral tax and an attack on the American dream," they wrote, adding, "Why is America punishing success?"

Congress's Joint Committee on Taxation estimated that repealing the estate tax would cost the Treasury $14.6 billion in the 2016 fiscal year and $269 billion over 10 years. Mr. Boehner said that "is nothing more than a drop in the bucket to the federal government."

Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said Republicans were applying a double standard since they usually demand that Mr. Obama offset any tax cuts he proposes, while theirs would simply add to the deficit. "Some might even call it hypocritical," he said, "but it certainly is in my mind at least ironic."

Democrats, including the president and his aides, said Republicans were catering to the wealthiest Americans at the expense of everyone else. Earlier this week, Mr. Obama contrasted Republican priorities with his own plan to reduce taxes for low- and middle-income families.

"This is a very vivid illustration of the different values and priorities between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to tax policy," Mr. Earnest said.

The federal tax currently applies to estates worth more than $5.43 million for an individual or $10.86 million for a couple. Assets above those levels are taxed at rates up to 40 percent.

According to government estimates, 5,400 estates would be affected this year, accounting for 0.2 percent of the deaths anticipated in the United States. During a visit to Charlotte on Wednesday, Mr. Obama said a repeal would benefit just 120 households in North Carolina. By contrast, he said, his tax plans would help 44 million people.

The vote in the House was 240 to 179, largely along party lines.