The House Oversight Committee voted Wednesday to advance a bill that would allow the District to redevelop the site of RFK Stadium, marking a major step in potentially clearing the way for the Washington Commanders to build a new football stadium in the city.
The committee’s 31-9 vote in favor advances the legislation to the rest of the House for a vote. The RFK Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act, the name of the bill, would extend the lease on the 190-acre site by up to 99 years and calls for the site to have mixed-use development that could include a new stadium, housing and recreational or commercial facilities.
The bill advanced after two hearings this week, one Tuesday by the House Natural Resources subcommittee and another Wednesday by the House Oversight Committee. Wednesday’s hearing, in particular, featured a spirited discussion prompted by Rep. Scott Perry’s introduction of an amendment that called for the barring of public funds to be used for a stadium.
The Pennsylvania Republican’s amendment failed to pass, but the breakdown of the 24-13 vote went well beyond conventional ideological lines. For instance, Democratic lawmakers Rep. Jamie Raskin and Rep. Kweisi Mfume — both of whom are from Maryland — found themselves voting with Mr. Perry in favor of the amendment that would have handcuffed the District. Others such as chair Rep. James Comer, Kentucky Republican, and Rep. Gerry Connolly, Virginia Democrat, were among those who voted against the amendment.
“Let me just say that was the most interesting coalition of yes and nos in the history of the Oversight Committee,” Mr. Comer joked, prompting laughter. “Historians will be studying that roll-call vote for decades.”
The advancement of the RFK bill is a sign of momentum for the Commanders’ pursuit of a new venue after billionaire Josh Harris bought the franchise this year for a record $6.05 billion.
Washington’s lease at FedEx Field, located in suburban Landover, Maryland, doesn’t expire until 2027, but the team has faced obstacles in securing a new stadium deal. Maryland and Virginia officials have also openly expressed interest in hosting the Commanders. Harris has said the Commanders are excited to be speaking with all three jurisdictions, though hasn’t indicated a preference for the team’s next home.
But luring the Commanders back to the District — the city where the team played for nearly 60 years — has been a key priority for Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has been a staunch supporter of revitalizing the RFK site for the franchise. The mayor attended Wednesday’s hearing, speaking with reporters in the hallway outside the hearing room.
She objected to Mr. Perry’s amendment, as well as Mr. Raskin’s support of it. She implied that Mr. Raskin voted for the amendment because he wanted the Commanders to stay in Maryland, something that Mr. Raskin denied. He told reporters that he did not support tax funds being directed toward stadiums, calling it a “form of corporate welfare.”
Mr. Perry said he did not oppose the redevelopment of the site, but said he took issue with funds being used to support “a multi-billion dollar sports franchise.” He said taxpayers “shouldn’t be forced to put their capital at risk” to support a stadium.
“Local and state governments should not be shaken down by corporate interests in the all too common crony, grifting scheme,” Mr. Perry said, “the franchise should have no problem covering all the costs of that long-term investment.”
Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District’s nonvoting member in the House who is a co-sponsor of the bill, said the way the District spends its local funds should “be a decision for D.C..” That sentiment was backed by Mr. Comer and Mr. Connolly.
“D.C.’s locally elected officials are accountable to D.C. residents,” Ms. Norton said. “If D.C. residents do not like the decisions of their locally elected officials, they can vote them out of office.”
“This amendment would hinder D.C. at a time when we need to do everything we can to work with D.C. to create economic opportunities for the city,” Mr. Comer said.
Before Mr. Perry’s amendment was voted down, Ms. Bowser sent a scathing letter to members of Congress. The amendment was a “clear attack on Home Rule,” she wrote.
“Whether or not an NFL stadium is going to the RFK campus — which has yet to be determined — is not what [Wednesday’s] vote is about,” Miss Bowser wrote. “[Wednesday’s] vote is simply a vote to extend the existing lease to allow the District to redevelop, with a mix of uses, the 174 acres of desolate land, sitting along the banks of the Anacostia River (the current lease only permits a stadium or recreational use).
“By previously restricting and limiting what the District can do with the land, Congress has all but ensured that campus stayed an empty sea of asphalt, even as the need for land in DC has increased.”
The Commanders declined to comment.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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