On Tuesday, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted to give the District of Columbia the freedom to build a new stadium at the old RFK Stadium site.
The D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act passed the Senate committee with a 17-2 vote. Only Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) voted against it.
The hopes are that the new stadium built on the old RFK site would then become the future home of the Washington Commanders, bringing the franchise back to the location where five Washington Redskins Super Bowl teams played their home games beginning in the 1961 season through the 1996 season.
This was a bipartisan effort, and the vote now means the Congress, which adjourns on December 20, must proceed with the next legal step.
There is opposition, and it is not a matter of Republicans and Democrats opposing each other. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) publicly declared himself against the legislation, referring to the proposal as “not in the best interest of the American taxpayer.”
Previously, the state of Maryland, which now houses the Commanders at the newly named Northwest Stadium in Landover, had approved the state investing $400 million into the Northwest Stadium area.
The Commanders are obligated to play at the current Landover stadium through the 2027 season. Moore, understandably, doesn’t want the Commanders to go back to the District. He wants to keep them in Maryland by building a new stadium near the current stadium.
Meanwhile, DC mayor Muriel Bowser has publicly expressed for some time that she envisions the old RFK site as one rebuilt for the Commanders’ new home, with restaurants and housing also included in the project.
“Today’s vote marks a pivotal moment in our efforts to unlock the potential of the RFK Campus,” Bowser said in a statement after Tuesday’s vote.
Bowser continued, “We look forward to a full vote on the Senate floor so we can get it signed into law before year’s end.”
The Redskins, in the 1961 season, began playing in what was then called “District of Columbia Stadium.” The name was shortened understandably to “D.C. Stadium”.
Senator Robert F Kennedy was assassinated in 1968, and the stadium was renamed in 1969 to “Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium,” which naturally soon became known simply as “RFK.”