The U.S. Senate has failed to advance an environmental program known as the Green New Deal.

In a procedural vote, 57 senators, mostly Republicans, voted against it.   Three Democrats voted no along with one independent, but most of the Democratic caucus voted “present” rather than take a position.  Democrats criticized the procedural motion as a “sham” intended to divide the Democrats and gain talking points for Republicans in the 2020 election.

The proposal was developed by New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as a program to address climate change and economic inequality.

Kansas senators Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran voted against the resolution.   Roberts said the proposal would hamper American agriculture, which is already taking steps for conservation and land management, and he said the proposal is vague with no real details or metrics to solve the issue of climate change.  Moran said it’s an irresponsible proposal that fails to recognize the advancements and efforts made by Kansas farmers and ranchers to protect soil, air and water.   He called the proposal a “divisive step backward that takes away from serious policy discussions about efforts to address our changing climate.”