Senate panel passes DC stadium bill, advancing the Commanders’ possible return to the District
A Senate panel passed a bill Tuesday morning opening a path for the Washington Commanders to return to D.C. at a new facility at the site of the old RFK stadium.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed the bill 17-2 to transfer federal land around RFK stadium to the District and to allow for development around the stadium site.
The bill will head to a vote on the Senate floor, likely in 2025, where it has bipartisan support.
After the vote concluded, Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, the committee’s chairman, said, “Go Commanders!”
The deal has the support of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the House passed the bill earlier this year.
Today, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted to advance the D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act (H.R. 4984) out of committee.
Mayor Muriel Bowser released the following statement: pic.twitter.com/sOE3wrMnAO
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) November 19, 2024
Though the bill is on a favorable track to pass in the Senate, Tuesday’s vote was delayed by some controversy surrounding Washington’s old moniker. Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines held up the deal, arguing the Commanders hadn’t done enough to honor its legacy in reference to its name and logo change.
The senator argued the Commanders’ previous logo — created by Walter “Blackie” Wetzel, a member of the Blackfeet Nation from his state — was based off of multiple people, including Blackfeet Chief Two Guns White Calf.
“This logo was not a character,” Daines said. “It’s a historic person.”
Daines said on Monday that he now supports the legislation after speaking with the Wetzel family, who are in touch with the Commanders about recognizing the prior logo and the team’s history.
The Commanders’ lease at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, ends in 2027. Both Virginia and Maryland have expressed interest in competing with D.C. to become the football team’s new home.
This is a developing story. Stick with WTOP for the latest.
WTOP’s Jessica Kronzer contributed to this report.