WASHINGTON – A provision to transfer the land that is the site of the old RFK Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia is no longer included in Congress' slimmed-down, short-term spending bill that lawmakers are racing to pass before a government shutdown.
The removal Thursday of that part of the bill is a loss for the NFL’s Washington Commanders, who were hoping to have the land available as an option to build a new stadium. Controlling owner Josh Harris and Commissioner Roger Goodell lobbied on Capitol Hill in favor of its inclusion earlier this month.
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The revised bill came after President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk criticized and rejected the initial package, which included the RFK Stadium land remaining in control of the city for 99 years.
A team spokesperson had no comment when reached by email. Messages left for the offices of the league and Rep. James Comer, R.-Ky., who initially introduced the legislation, were not immediately returned.
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser addressed the situation at an event commemorating the start of an $800 million downtown arena renovation for the NBA's Wizards and NHL's Capitals earlier in the day. She tried to refute incorrect reports amplified by Musk on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter, about the cost of the RFK Stadium provision, and pleaded her case for why the land transfer was good for the city after bipartisan negotiation.
“We’ve done all we’re supposed to do, and this is the vehicle that has been identified — and agreed to by Democrats and Republicans,” Bowser said. “Have you been to RFK? Anybody? (It is) 177 acres surrounded by asphalt and a stadium that hasn’t been used in 10 years that is a blight on the nation’s capital. Now, I agree with the president-elect on this point: We want to make our nation’s capital the most beautiful capital in the world, so we have to move and free RFK.”
The Commanders are considering places in the district, Maryland and Virginia to build a stadium in the coming years. Their lease at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, runs through 2027, and Harris called 2030 a “reasonable target” for a new one.
The team played at RFK Stadium 2 miles (3.22 kilometers) east of the Capitol from 1961-96 before moving to Maryland. Harris and several co-owners, including Mitch Rales and Mark Ein, grew up as Washington football fans during that era, which included the glory days of three Super Bowl championships from 1982-91.
It was not immediately clear how ownership would pivot and what would become of an agreement with Maryland about what to do with the old site if the team moves elsewhere.
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