A bill that would clear the way for the Washington Commanders to return to D.C. passed a unanimous Senate vote after 1 a.m. EST Saturday and will now head to President Biden’s desk.
It was a hard-fought victory for the legislation’s proponents who had to counter tweets from Elon Musk Wednesday night, including one with 20 million views that declared the stadium “should not be funded by your tax dollars!”
The bill has never had any federal funding since it was first introduced in July 2023, and explicitly states D.C. “may not use federal funds for stadium purposes on the campus, including training facilities, offices, and other structures necessary to support a stadium.”
“Elon got the details of the legislation completely wrong, but the good bill still came out on top,” a Congressional source told Front Office Sports after the bill passed.
Earlier this week, it looked like the bill would breeze through as part of the continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through March. But then Musk spread misinformation about the funding of the stadium, and President-elect Donald Trump pressured House Speaker Mike Johnson to trim the bill.
The slimmer CR was overwhelmingly voted down Thursday before a final CR passed with Democratic support Friday.
The RFK Stadium bill wasn’t in either CR, including the one the Senate passed around 12:30 a.m. ET Saturday. But behind the scenes, the Commanders and other proponents of the bill made a major Senate push starting Thursday that quietly led Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to introduce the bill by unanimous consent around 1:15 a.m. ET.
It wasn’t certain until minutes prior that all 100 senators would agree, including the two from Maryland who had backed off their opposition only earlier this week.
“We have always supported the District’s effort to control its own land,” Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen said in a joint statement. “Our concerns with this proposal have been addressed.”
No Senators spoke up in opposition.
“If Congress failed to act today, this decaying land in Washington would continue to cost taxpayers a fortune to maintain,” Rep. James Comer (R-KY), who co-authored the bill, said in a statement. “Revitalizing this RFK Memorial Stadium site has been a top economic priority for the city, and I am proud to have partnered with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to get this bill across the finish line.”
Once signed by Biden, the 170-acre site of the Commanders’ former home will transfer from federal to D.C. control as part of a 99-year lease. The new lease gives D.C other options than its current lease for the land, including housing and parks.
Commanders managing partner Josh Harris released a statement praising the “bipartisan” effort to pass the bill, which he said “will create an equal playing field so that all potential future locations for the home of the Washington Commanders can be fairly considered and give our franchise the opportunity to provide the best experience for all our fans.”
