This week, U.S. senators voted against halting a plan to kill off more than 450,000 barred owls to protect another species of owl—the spotted owl.

Why It Matters

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) explains that spotted owls are native to western North America and are threatened by invasive barred owls, in addition to habitat loss from timber harvests and wildfires. Barred owls, native to eastern North America, began expanding west around 1900 as human activity altered forests and the Great Plains. Larger and more aggressive, barred owls have displaced spotted owls from their historical territory, according to the agency.

USFWS has previously said that actions to address the threat of barred owls to spotted owls are “necessary to support the survival of the threatened northern spotted owl and avoid substantial impacts to the California spotted owl populations from barred owl competition.”

Newsweek previously reported that the plan—finalized during the Biden administration—would involve trained shooters targeting the invasive species over 30 years across California, Oregon and Washington.

What To Know

Below is a breakdown of how each senator voted on the resolution, according to C-SPAN.

Republican

Banks (R–IN), Nay
Barrasso (R–WY), Nay
Blackburn (R–TN), Yea
Boozman (R–AR), Nay
Britt (R–AL), Yea
Budd (R–NC), Nay
Capito (R–WV), Nay
Cassidy (R–LA), Yea
Collins (R–ME), Yea
Cornyn (R–TX), Nay
Cotton (R–AR), Nay
Cramer (R–ND), Yea
Crapo (R–ID), Nay
Cruz (R–TX), Yea
Curtis (R–UT), Nay
Daines (R–MT), Nay
Ernst (R–IA), Yea
Fischer (R–NE), Nay
Graham (R–SC), Nay
Grassley (R–IA), Yea
Hagerty (R–TN), Yea
Hawley (R–MO), Nay
Hoeven (R–ND), Yea
Husted (R–OH), Nay
Hyde-Smith (R–MS), Not Voting
Johnson (R–WI), Yea
Justice (R–WV), Nay
Kennedy (R–LA), Yea
Lankford (R–OK), Yea
Lee (R–UT), Nay
Lummis (R–WY), Nay
Marshall (R–KS), Yea
McConnell (R–KY), Nay
McCormick (R–PA), Yea
Moody (R–FL), Yea
Moran (R–KS), Yea
Moreno (R–OH), Nay
Mullin (R–OK), Nay
Murkowski (R–AK), Yea
Paul (R–KY), Yea
Ricketts (R–NE), Nay
Risch (R–ID), Nay
Rounds (R–SD), Nay
Schmitt (R–MO), Nay
Scott (R–SC), Yea
Scott (R–FL), Yea
Sheehy (R–MT), Nay
Sullivan (R–AK), Nay
Thune (R–SD), Nay
Tillis (R–NC), Nay
Tuberville (R–AL), Yea
Wicker (R–MS), Not Voting
Young (R–IN), Nay

Democratic

Alsobrooks (D–MD), Nay
Baldwin (D–WI), Nay
Bennet (D–CO), Nay
Blumenthal (D–CT), Nay
Blunt Rochester (D–DE), Nay
Booker (D–NJ), Yea
Cantwell (D–WA), Nay
Coons (D–DE), Nay
Cortez Masto (D–NV), Nay
Duckworth (D–IL), Nay
Durbin (D–IL), Nay
Fetterman (D–PA), Nay
Gallego (D–AZ), Not Voting
Gillibrand (D–NY), Yea
Hassan (D–NH), Nay
Heinrich (D–NM), Nay
Hickenlooper (D–CO), Nay
Hirono (D–HI), Nay
Kaine (D–VA), Nay
Kelly (D–AZ), Nay
Kim (D–NJ), Nay
Klobuchar (D–MN), Nay
Luján (D–NM), Nay
Markey (D–MA), Nay
Merkley (D–OR), Nay
Murphy (D–CT), Nay
Murray (D–WA), Nay
Ossoff (D–GA), Nay
Padilla (D–CA), Nay
Peters (D–MI), Nay
Reed (D–RI), Nay
Rosen (D–NV), Nay
Schatz (D–HI), Nay
Schiff (D–CA), Nay
Schumer (D–NY), Nay
Shaheen (D–NH), Nay
Slotkin (D–MI), Nay
Smith (D–MN), Nay
Van Hollen (D–MD), Nay
Warner (D–VA), Nay
Warnock (D–GA), Nay
Warren (D–MA), Nay
Welch (D–VT), Nay
Whitehouse (D–RI), Nay
Wyden (D–OR), Nay

Independent

King (I–ME), Nay
Sanders (I–VT), Yea

What People Are Saying

Republican senator from Louisiana John Kennedy said in a speech before the Senate, as reported by The Guardian: “The barred owls are not hurting anybody. They’re just doing what nature teaches them to do. We’re going to change nature?

“We’re going to control our environment to this extent? We’re going to pass DEI for owls?”

Texas Senator Ted Cruz said, per Politico: “Killing a half-billion owls seems like a crazy thing for the government to be doing.”

Environment and Public Works Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) said, according to Politico: “The Trump administration agrees with the Biden administration on this — how rare is that on this strategy? We’ve heard a lot from timber and some other folks.”

What Happens Next

The move failed, with 25 votes to 72 votes.