Senate passes RFK Stadium land invoice, giving the Washington Commanders a serious off-the-field win | EUROtoday

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The path for the NFL’s Washington Commanders to return to the nation’s capital is evident after an on-again, off-again saga in Congress ended early Saturday with a postmidnight reprieve.

The U.S. Senate handed a decision to switch the land together with outdated RFK Stadium from the federal authorities to the District of Columbia. The D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act handed by voice vote at roughly 1:15 a.m. after greater than a yr of lobbying and assist from Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., district Mayor Muriel Bowser, Commanders controlling proprietor Josh Harris and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

“We are extremely grateful that our elected officials have come together on a bipartisan basis to give Washington, D.C., the opportunity to decide on the future of the RFK Stadium site,” Harris said. “This bill 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 of our fans.”

The RFK Stadium land provision was a part of Congress’ preliminary short-term spending invoice Tuesday earlier than it was torpedoed by President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the latter of whom amplified misinformation concerning the website on his social media platform X. Two variations of the House’s slimmed-down invoice, together with the one which handed Friday evening to keep away from a authorities shutdown, didn’t embrace it.

Giving the native authorities management of the land for the subsequent 99 years permits for the decaying husk of the outdated stadium to be torn down and the location redeveloped for any variety of issues. One of the probabilities is a soccer stadium and surrounding leisure choices on the franchise’s former residence.

Bowser known as it “a win for D.C., for our region and for America.”

“Everybody loves a good comeback story — and that’s D.C.’s story,” she stated.

All that awaits is President Joe Biden’s signature to grow to be regulation. Comer went so far as saying that Senate passage of the invoice is “a historic moment for our nation’s capital.”

“If Congress failed to act today, this decaying land in Washington would continue to cost taxpayers a fortune to maintain,” he stated. “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 and to the president’s desk. This bipartisan success is a testament to the House Oversight Committee’s unwavering effort to protect taxpayers and our full commitment to ensuring a capital that is prosperous for residents and visitors for generations to come.”

Playing in Washington once more isn’t any certain factor. The Commanders are contemplating locations within the district, Maryland and Virginia to construct a stadium within the coming years.

Their lease at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, runs by means of 2027. Harris known as 2030 a “reasonable target” for a brand new stadium.

The workforce performed at RFK Stadium 2 miles (3.22 kilometers) east of the Capitol from 1961-96 earlier than transferring to Maryland. Harris and a number of other co-owners, together with Mitch Rales and Mark Ein, grew up as Washington soccer followers throughout that period, which included the glory days of three Super Bowl championships from 1982-91.

Part of the best way the supply acquired into the invoice initially concerned an settlement between the workforce and Maryland to tear down the present stadium in a well timed trend and redevelop the location with a venture of equal financial influence, an individual with data of the state of affairs advised The Associated Press earlier this week on situation of anonymity as a result of the deal was not being publicized.

After the Senate greenlit the RFK Stadium land switch, Maryland Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, each Democrats, stated they continued to consider their state’s partnership with the workforce ought to proceed lengthy into the longer term.

“After working to level the financial playing field, and receiving assurances that should the team move they will redevelop the existing site in a manner that meets the needs of the community, tonight we supported the proposed land transfer legislation,” Cardin and Van Hollen stated. “We have always supported the District’s effort to control its own land, and through regional discussions and cooperation, our concerns with this proposal have been addressed.”

The team has played games in Maryland since 1997 and practices in Ashburn, Virginia, not far from Dulles International Airport.

A return to the district would be another victory for Bowser, who on Thursday celebrated the start of an $800 million downtown arena renovation that is keeping the NBA’s Wizards and NHL’s Capitals in town. At that news conference, she took aim at Musk for sharing incorrect information on X, formerly Twitter, about taxpayers footing the bill for a new stadium.

“It was stated that the (continuing resolution) contains $3 billion for a stadium,” Bowser said. “All unsuitable. There are not any federal {dollars} associated to the switch of RFK, and actually the laws doesn’t require or hyperlink in any respect to a stadium. We’re speaking about how the District can put money into eradicating blight.”

Musk reshared an inaccurate publish saying: “Buried in the 1,547-page omnibus bill is a provision to facilitate a $3 billion NFL stadium in Washington, D.C.” with the message, “This should not be funded by your tax dollars!”

The invoice particularly prohibits using federal funds for a stadium on the location, “including training facilities, offices, and other structures necessary to support a stadium.”

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl