While most Democrats abstained from the vote, those who voted against it said the legislation would be harmful to US economy and still fail to reach its goal on a global scale.

US Senate has rejected Tuesday the controversial proposal known commonly as the "Green New Deal." The legislation has been turned down with 57 votes against, while most Democrats have voted "present," abstaining from vote whatsoever.
Four Democrats — Doug Jones of Alabama, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona — have joined the Republicans and also voted "no." Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont voted "present," while Independent Senator Angus King of Maine also voted "no."
The Tuesday vote is widely perceived as an attempt by Senate Majority leader Republican Mitch Mcconnell of Kentucky to force Democrats to cast their vote, cementing their views on the controversial deal and thus highlighting the split between the moderate and the more radical left-leaning Dems. According to Vox report, the Dems almost unanimously voted "present" as a "means of calling out Republicans" for their plan.

U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks during a news conference for a proposed Green New Deal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in 10 years, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. February 7, 2019

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REUTERS/ JONATHAN ERNST
Greenpeace Co-Founder on Ocasio-Cortez's 'Green New Deal': 'Ridiculous Proposal'
Faced with clear and present upcoming defeat, many Democrats have dismissed the vote and called it a "sham" even before the vote began. Representative Ocasio-Cortez, a co-sponsor of the Deal, blasted the vote saying it was "rushed."

"What McConnell's doing is that he's trying to rush this bill to the floor without a hearing, without any markups, without working through committee — because he doesn't want to save our planet," she said according to Vox.
The Deal has failed to reach obligatory 60 votes to begin debate on the Deal, Fox News notes.
Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said Democrats were being hypocritical by refusing to vote for their own plan.

"I've never seen a bill sponsored by a dozen people who don't want to vote on it," he said.
The Green New Deal aims to make the US a zero-emissions country in just 10 years, by forcing abolishing of fossil fuels and switching the entire economy to renewable sources of energy.

Larry Kudlow, a longtime fixture on the CNBC business news network who previously served in the Reagan administration, is interviewed on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, March 14, 2018. ©
AP Photo / Richard Drew US White House Economist Larry Kudlow Says Green New Deal to ‘Destroy Economy’
Explaining his "no" note, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin pointed out that even if the US succeeds in switching to renewable energy sources, other countries of the world will not, putting the US at a major disadvantage while failing to reach desired results on a global scale.

"The truth is even if we zero out our country's use of fossil fuels tomorrow, we must face the facts that other nations have invested in and will continue to use fossil fuels to develop their economies for decades to come. We cannot successfully address our climate challenge by eliminating sources of energy that countries are committed to using," he said.
Senate Majority leader McConnell also pointed out that the Deal will outlaw "the only sources of energy that working-class and middle-class families can actually afford," and "kill off entire domestic industries."

"The way to do this, consistent with American values and American capitalism, is through technology and innovation," McConnell said, according to Fox News report. "Not to shut down your economy, throw people out of work, make people reconstruct their homes, get out of their cars, you get the whole drift here. This is nonsense, and if you're going to sign on to nonsense, you ought to have to vote for nonsense."Source: sputniknews.com