Lawmakers divided over RFK stadium development proposal
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Some lawmakers were divided over a proposal being voted on by the U.S. House that would allow D.C. to spearhead new development at the RFK stadium site in hopes of luring the Washington Commanders back to D.C.
The vote could happen as early as 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, congressional officials said.
Mayor Muriel Bowser and some members of D.C. City Council have been pushing the legislation that culminated in key Republicans like U.S. Rep. James Comer, (R-Ky.), who is the head of the House Oversight Committee to back the measure.
But several Maryland officials are opposed to the deal in part because the Commanders currently play in Maryland’s Prince George’s County, the place they have called home since the 1990s.
U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey, (D-Md.), said he opposes the bill.
“The team’s been playing in my district for 25, 30 years now,” he added. “We just want to have a chance to compete to keep them in Prince George’s County and in Maryland.”
Ivey said the bill isn’t fair to Maryland.
“The concern about the bill is it’s a sweetheart dea,” Ivey said. “[It] gives the D.C. a greater chance to compete than we would have.”
“We just want a level playing field,” he added.
But Eleanor Holmes Norton, who represents D.C. in Congress as a non-voting member because the District isn’t a state, said she’s been twisting arms for months to get this passed.