DC Council chair proposes removing RFK stadium deal from city's 2026 budget

WASHINGTON - The Chairman of the D.C. council is pushing for the RFK redevelopment deal to be separated from the District's 2026 Budget Support Act (BSA).

What they're saying:

D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, along with Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, has proposed separating the bill that would approve the redevelopment of the RFK Stadium site, expected to become the new home of the Washington Commanders, from the city's budget legislation. 

The councilmen announced their proposed legislation, the Robert F. Kennedy Campus Redevelopment Act of 2025, on Friday. 

They say the bill is "substantively identical" to what was included in the Budget Support Act introduced by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser back in May. 

The two council members contend that separating the RFK redevelopment bill from the main budget legislation will allow the council to hold a public hearing singularly focused on the stadium deal and would give Council more time to consider all aspects of the deal.

The Budget Support Act must be approved in just over three weeks. The first vote is scheduled for July 14 and the second on July 28. 

"Introducing this BSA subtitle as standalone legislation will enable the Council to complete its due diligence on the RFK proposal," a statement issued by Mendelson reads. 

He says the stadium proposal must undergo an economic impact analysis, a stadium comparative analysis, a risk assessment and a tax abatement financial analysis—all expected to be completed in July. 

"Considering the RFK development as part of the BSA (to be voted on approximately three weeks from now) does not provide sufficient time for these analyses to be completed, let alone thoughtfully examined." 

Big picture view:

Mendelson says his proposal to make the RFK Stadium deal a standalone piece of legislation is not meant to insinuate that the deal is not going through. 

"No one should infer from the introduction of this bill that funding in the Mayor’s proposed budget for the Washington Commanders Football Team is in jeopardy. Council members have said they support leaving the funding, as proposed by the Mayor, in the budget. The attached bill would not alter that," his statement read.

He laid out key elements of the proposed Robert F. Kennedy Campus Redevelopment Act of 2025. This includes: 

• Authorizes the Mayor to lease three parcels, and sell stadium seat rights, to the Commanders without further Council review;
• Authorizes the Mayor to issue bonds in a total principal amount not to exceed $759 million for payment of the horizontal infrastructure costs of the RFK Campus Infrastructure Project
• Authorizes the Mayor to issue, no earlier than October 2031, bonds in a total principal amount not to exceed $210 million for payment of the costs of the RFK Campus Parking Facilities Project
• Authorizes the Washington Convention Center Authority to issue bonds in a total principal amount not to exceed $284 million to finance the construction of parking facilities
• Establishes an "RFK Campus Infrastructure Fund" into which all revenues from the "ballpark fee" (created in 2004 to finance Nationals Stadium) will be deposited, once the ballpark bonds are paid off, and out of which the debt service for the RFK Campus Infrastructure Project shall be paid
• Establishes a "District Sports Fund" to "support youth, amateur, and professional sports in all 8 wards," to be funded by any excess revenues in the RFK Campus Infrastructure Fund
• Establishes an "RFK Campus Parking Facilities Fund" into which all sales tax revenues from the football stadium will be deposited, and out of which the debt service for one of the parking facilities shall be paid
• Establishes an "RFK Campus Reinvestment Fund" to attract and support "activities and events at the RFK Campus" and pay maintenance, repair, and capital expenses of the RFK Campus, including the Stadium, sports plex, and other recreation-related facilities, to be funded by any excess sales tax revenues in the RFK Campus Parking Facilities Fund not needed for debt service
• Exempts the stadium and garages from property taxes and deed transfer/recordation taxes
• Exempts the sale of personal seat licenses from sales tax, and exempts the garages from the parking sales tax
• Requires that the Development and Financing Agreement:Shall be exempt from the Procurement Practices Reform Act and the Public-Private Partnership Act;Shall comply with the First Source Employment law, with a preference for at least 20% of the new jobs created "in connection with the Stadium Project" to be designated for residents + + in Wards 7 orShall have a registered apprenticeship program as required by § 32-1431; andShall comply with the Small and Certified Business Enterprise Development law with a preference for at least 10% of the certified business enterprises located in Wards 7 or 8;
• Shall be exempt from the Procurement Practices Reform Act and the Public-Private Partnership Act;
• Shall comply with the First Source Employment law, with a preference for at least 20% of the new jobs created "in connection with the Stadium Project" to be designated for residents + + in Wards 7 or
• Shall have a registered apprenticeship program as required by § 32-1431; and
• Shall comply with the Small and Certified Business Enterprise Development law with a preference for at least 10% of the certified business enterprises located in Wards 7 or 8;
• Exempts from zoning the stadium, an accessory office building, the accessory parking facilities, and a public sports and recreation facility (Sportsplex)
• Authorizes Designated Entertainment Area signs,

The language in the bill states that it is meant to authorize bond issuances, establish special funds and give Mayor Bowser the authority to enter into a lease agreement, development and financing agreements, and other related agreements to facilitate the redevelopment of the site.

Dig deeper:

The RFK Stadium site is located in Northeast D.C. and consists of approximately 180 acres of waterfront property. Winning control of the land was a hard-fought battle waged by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. 

D.C. leaders, under Bowser, worked for years to get control of the RFK Stadium site. It was previously controlled by the federal government. 

Earlier this year, former President Joe Biden finally signed the legislation that gave D.C. control of the land for 99 years—part of a massive spending bill passed by Congress back in December 2024.

It enabled the District to put forth an offer and work to make a deal with the Commanders to entice them to come back to the District. The NFL and Commanders lobbied for this legislation, as did Bowser, who made it clear that she wanted to see the team return to D.C. 

D.C. and the Commanders reached a multi-billion-dollar deal to bring the team to the District by 2030. The Commanders will invest $2.7 billion in the project, while the city will contribute over $1 billion. Mayor Bowser projects the development will generate $4 billion in tax revenue.

The stadium will occupy 20 acres of the old RFK site, with 160 adjacent acres devoted to housing, a recreation center, and a business and entertainment district. The stadium plan includes a covered stadium with a 65,000-seat capacity. 

Groundbreaking is anticipated next year, pending approval from the D.C. Council but some believe separating the RFK legislation from the D.C. budget could cause significant delays in this timeline.

Commanders respond:

FOX 5 reached out to the Commanders for comment on the Chairman's proposal. In a statement, they said:

"The Washington Commanders are committed to working with the Council around the clock to keep this project on schedule and deliver a world-class stadium for the District by 2030. This is about more than just a stadium: it's an investment in families, local workers, and long-term economic opportunity that will transform this community, District, and the region. Any substantive delays will jeopardize D.C.’s ability to attract premier concerts, global talent, and marquee events—including the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Most importantly, it will slow new jobs at a time when the District needs them the most. We are hopeful the Council will continue to work in an expedited way to approve this deal and deliver a significant win for the people of D.C."

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