Partisan politics took hold of a vote on the “Green New Deal” resolution introduced in the House by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) and in the Senate by Sen. Ed Markey (D., Mass.). The vote for cloture failed 0-57, with all Democrats voting “present” so as not to go on record for the resolution, arguing that there was not sufficient debate on the legislation within committee.

Many co-sponsors of the Green New Deal resolution are future Democrat presidential candidate hopefuls, including Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.), Kamala Harris (D., Cal.), Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), Mazie Hirono (D., Hawaii), Ron Wyden (D., Ore.), Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.), Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.) and Chris Murphy (D., Conn.).

In a floor speech ahead of the vote, Senate Agriculture Committee chairman Pat Roberts (R., Kan.) stated, “In short, within agriculture, there is nothing ‘new’ with the ‘Green New Deal.’”

Roberts continued, “It calls for 'working collaboratively with farmers and ranchers in the United States to eliminate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector as much as is technologically feasible' by 'supporting family farming,' ‘investing in sustainable farming and land use practices that increase soil health' and 'building a more sustainable food system that ensures universal access to healthy food.’”

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Roberts contended that farm country is already doing each of these things, adding, “Now, I do not question the intent of the authors of the Green New Deal, but they don’t know what they don’t know. They need to catch up with the agriculture committee and with farm country.”

Roberts offered some great insight into ways farmers today have improved upon the agricultural system of their grandparents. For instance, farmers and ranchers raise the same amount of beef today as they did in the 1970s, but they do so with 33% fewer cattle. Over the last 50 years, American farmers have reduced water use in pork production by 41%. He added that there are real success stories that speak to how farmers are already managing natural resources responsibly and voluntarily making contributions to address the issue of climate change.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) said in a floor speech that unlike the aspirational goals of the Green New Deal, there are real, proven, bipartisan actions that can be taken to help make the U.S. more energy independent and improve the environment. He discussed the focus on renewable energy, including solar electricity, ethanol and biodiesel.

Grassley said according to an analysis by the American Action Forum, the portion of the so-called Green New Deal plan focused on eliminating carbon emissions, by itself, would cost $8.3-12.3 trillion. The portion about the progressive economic agenda that includes enacting universal health care, free college tuition, a federal job guarantee program and much more is estimated to cost between $43 trillion and $81 trillion.

“That puts the total cost of the Green New Deal at between $51 and $93 trillion over the first 10 years,” Grassley said. “That is more money than the United States government has spent in its entire 230-year history.”

Roberts added that vague “proposals” such as the Green New Deal that contain no real details or metrics are not going to solve the issue of climate change in any meaningful way.

“Regulating American farmers and ranchers out of business will only result in food and fiber production being outsourced to countries that do not have the same conservation-minded producers that we have here in the U.S.,” Roberts warned.

“I realize there are those who think the [Green New Deal] is a moral imperative, but farmers continuing to feed the world is also a moral imperative. Too many go hungry each day in America; ending this is also a moral imperative. In hampering American agriculture, the Green New Deal does not match up with these moral responsibilities.”

The topic of climate change is not likely to go away, and neither is the highly charged political divide over the issue. In the Senate, Democrats decided to start their own ad hoc climate change committee to come up with specific policy plans -- something the non-binding Green New Deal resolution lacked. In the House, Republicans are also pushing for a vote on the resolution as Rep. Jody Hice (R., Ga.) is reportedly aiming to file a discharge petition in late April to bring the Green New Deal to the floor for a vote.