In the early hours of Saturday morning, after passing the government spending bill, Senate agreed to give D.C. long-term control of the RFK Stadium campus in Southeast. Mayor Muriel Bowser has long championed the move, and hopes to formally negotiate a stadium deal with the Commanders to bring the team back to the District. They haven't played in D.C. proper in 27 years.
Rookie QB Jayden Daniels celebrates after throwing a pass for a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints on Dec. 15. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
The Congressional bill was co-sponsored by unlikely bedfellows — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY). It passed in the House of Representatives back in February, but took months to make its way through Senate, overcoming blocks from Montana and Maryland representatives.
The bill was also included in the bipartisan budget deal that President-Elect Donald Trump and tech mogul Elon Musk scrapped at the eleventh hour on Dec. 18, dashing D.C.'s hopes for stadium control. The bill that finally passed on Dec. 21 gives the city control over the site for the next 99 years.
RFK Stadium in its current state — decrepit. (Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)
Now, D.C. needs to decide what to do with the site, a discussion that has been fraught with controversy so far. The current RFK stadium is falling apart and is cleared for demolition, but will the campus become just a sports complex? That plus housing? Will retail be in the mix? There's a lot to decide.
