Mendelson said with the Trump administration in office, it is almost impossible for city officials to privately discuss strategy without running afoul of open meetings. He said the current law hinders getting anything done.

The bill gives the city more flexibility, Mendelson said, when it comes to dealing with federal issues and interference from Congress, especially after lawmakers passed a recent spending bill that cut $1 billion from the city’s budget.

But critics of the law are pushing back.

In a lengthy letter to the D.C. Council, the D.C. Open Government Coalition said the bill poses a substantial threat to government transparency and should not be enacted without more public input.

The coalition argued the council could resolve the issues “more efficiently through the modification of its rules without exacting such a toll on public access,” noting the bills have been in the works since at least last October.

“Regardless of what the DECLARATION says, there is no emergency — no ‘situation that adversely affects the health, safety, welfare, or economic well-being of the District, its residents, its businesses, or other persons or entities,’” Coalition Chairman Robert S. Becker said in the letter.

The legislation also gives an open meeting exemption to “consequential, large-scale business and economic development,” such as the recently completed, nearly $1 billion deal with Monumental Sports & Entertainment to remodel Capital One Arena.

Critics of the legislation say the timing is unusual, especially since the city, Washington Commanders and NFL could begin negotiations for a new stadium and they feel that information will be kept secret.

However, a city official told WTOP no member of the council has had any negotiations or discussions with the Commanders or the NFL about building a new stadium at the RFK Stadium campus and Mayor Muriel Bowser is the one taking part in those discussions.