And today ─ D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser addressed allegations Maryland leaders are playing politics by blocking the RFK Bill to get what they want.
With just over a week left before Congress breaks for the year, the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act has to be attached to a government spending bill to receive final approval.
The RFK bill gives the District long-term control of the RFK site and allows Bowser to formally negotiate a stadium deal to bring the Commanders back to D.C. after 28 years in Maryland.
But despite widespread bipartisan support, sources tell WUSA9 that Maryland leaders had placed a last-minute block on the RFK bill moving forward over a number of issues ─ including: the future of the Northwest Stadium site should the Commanders leave.
As of mid-afternoon on Thursday, it appears the issues had been resolved. A vote is expected sometime next week.
Another issue – how much money will be included in the spending bill to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge after it collapsed earlier this year.
At an event Thursday, Bowser said she expects negotiations with Maryland leaders about all of these issues to be in good faith.
“In the legislative process there are twists and turns, there are negotiations, and we believe the parties are negotiating in good faith,” Bowser said. “And it’s time to move the legislation. It’s time to move the legislation. It’s time to move the legislation.”
In a statement, the office of outgoing Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat, wrote “There has been constant communication on [the RFK issue] among federal and state leaders. Everyone is working together towards the same goal.”
As it relates to bridge funding, Cardin’s office wrote:
“Time is short. There are many priority issues for Maryland that need to get over the finish line before the end of this Congress.”
Meanwhile, a source in the office of Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, said it’s Van Hollen’s top priority to secure full federal funding for rebuilding the Key Bridge. But the source admitted both Van Hollen and Cardin are aligned with Gov. Wes Moore to ensure the RFK process is fair.
Specifically, whether D.C. is going to be handed over to control federal land it can then give to the Commanders for free as part of stadium negotiations.
According to a person in room during a Dec. 2 meeting on Capitol Hill between Commanders ownership and Sens. Cardin and Van Hollen, the senators told Commanders representatives they planned to block the RFK bill until Moore was satisfied with plans for the future use of the current stadium site in Landover and received written assurances of what the site would become should the Commanders leave.
Moore also wanted commitments from the Commanders the organization would pay to tear down Northwest Stadium when the new stadium opens, currently projected to be no earlier than 2030.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, indicated he would not allow the RFK bill to receive the procedural steps required for passage before the end of the session if Cardin and Van Hollen didn’t sign off.
Some Capitol Hill insiders believe the spending is expected to be finalized Thursday, including, whether the RFK bill is included in it.