DC mayor ‘hopeful’ that RFK Stadium bill will pass by end of week – WTOP News

As leaders in Congress race to finish up this session’s legislative work, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said she was “hopeful” that a bill giving the District control of the federally-owned land that the RFK Stadium sits on would pass by the end of the week.

The legislation has already passed in the House and through a Senate committee, paving the way for a vote in the full Senate.

If D.C. were to get control of the site, the city could redevelop the area, and it would be viewed as a major advantage for the District in potentially getting the Washington Commanders to play there.

The Commanders have a lease at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, that runs through 2027, and the team is looking around for a new home.

“D.C. has done everything in our power to move this legislation through the process,” Bowser said on Monday. “The taxpayers of the District are willing to step up and put that land back into productive use.”

Supporters of the legislation, including the mayor, expect the bill to be added to a much broader, short-term spending bill that must be approved this week on Capitol Hill to avoid a government shutdown before the holidays.

The spending bill needs to pass through the House and Senate by Friday at midnight.

“My job is to make sure that after many, many years and a lot of hard work, that the vision that we have for that land best serves D.C. residents,” Bowser said. “We’re hopeful that … they vote on it this week.”

The RFK Stadium legislation has hit snags during negotiations, particularly because Maryland lawmakers have been working to secure a guarantee that the Landover site would be redeveloped if the team did decide to move elsewhere.

In a recent interview with WTOP, Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin said his “first priority” was not to redevelop the Landover site, but to keep the Commanders in Maryland.

“We believe in fair competition, and one of our concerns is that to give the District access to the RFK site without compensation tilts the scale in favor of D.C. over Maryland, which is something Congress should not do,” Cardin said. “I’ve always been very supportive of the needs of the District, and we want to make sure that we give them what they need, but we don’t want to tilt the scale.”

Asked whether she thought Maryland lawmakers were unfairly holding up the deal, Bowser said, “I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt that we’re all working in good faith to do what’s right for both of our jurisdictions … I think with what’s on the table, we have a winning solution for D.C. and for Maryland.”

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