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D.C. Council delays vote on Commanders stadium as budget battle continues

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Published  June 26, 2025 2:44pm EDT
Washington Commanders
FOX 5 DC

The Brief

    • D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is urging the Council to pass the Commanders stadium deal, but Council Chair Phil Mendelson wants to separate it from the main budget bill.
    • Mendelson says the Council needs more time for due diligence, making the original July 15 approval deadline unrealistic.
    • The stadium proposal remains funded, but now faces a separate vote as the Council catches up on budget delays caused by Congressional spending cuts.

WASHINGTON - The back and forth over a new Commanders stadium continues. 

Mayor Muriel Bowser has demanded the D.C. Council pass the deal next month. But now,Council Chairman Phil Mendelson is introducing a proposal to remove the stadium deal from the city's budget bill.

What we know:

Originally, the mayor had included the Commanders stadium in her 2026 budget. But that budget was delayed by a week because of a tug of war with Congress, which reduced the District’s spending levels. Now, with the Council playing catch-up with the budget, the chairman says he’s keeping the money for the stadium, but it will now be its own separate bill.

"The votes and fight to get to the Nationals was also closely watched, I’ll say. But nobody, nobody would question now how great the Washington [Nationals] have been for Washington, D.C.," said Bowser. 

What are the Commanders saying? 

What they're saying:

Appearing at an economic forum today, Andy Van Horn, executive vice president of the Commanders, weighed in on the dispute.

He said the team is working closely with the Council, but said the team needs approval this summer. A 2030 opening date would put the stadium in play to host Women’s World Cup games in 2032.

"We don’t have time on our side, so we’re just sitting there as closely as possible with Council, making sure we’re hearing the questions, answering them, learning about what they want — and that’s our key focus: staying on Plan A," said Van Horn. 

What's next:

The Commanders deal called for it to be approved by July 15. 

But speaking to FOX 5, Mendelson said that timetable is not achievable due to the work on the budget and the due diligence the Council needed to pay the stadium.

While the mayor continues to express confidence the deal will get approved, there is a risk of losing the Commanders if it isn’t. St. Louis and San Diego both lost NFL teams when their local governments couldn’t agree on stadium funding. Likewise, Oakland, California, lost the A’s to Las Vegas when their stadium deal fell apart.

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