RFK Stadium site provision removed from fed bill

WASHINGTON -- A proviso to transportation the onshore that is the tract of the aged RFK Stadium from the national authorities to the District of Columbia is nary longer included successful Congress' slimmed-down, short-term spending bill that lawmakers are racing to walk earlier a authorities shutdown.

The removal Thursday of that portion of the measure is simply a nonaccomplishment for the NFL's Washington Commanders, who were hoping to person the onshore disposable arsenic an action to build a caller stadium. Controlling proprietor Josh Harris and Commissioner Roger Goodell lobbied connected Capitol Hill successful favour of its inclusion earlier this month.

The revised measure came aft President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk criticized and rejected the first package, which included the RFK Stadium onshore remaining successful District power for 99 years.

A squad spokesperson had nary remark erstwhile reached by email. Messages near for the offices of the league, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Rep. James Comer, R.-Ky., who initially introduced the legislation, were not instantly returned.

Musk had earlier besides reposted connected X the mendacious accusation that the measure included $3 cardinal for a caller shot stadium, saying: "This should not beryllium funded by your taxation dollars."

But the only facet successful the measure related to a imaginable stadium was the solution that would transportation power of the onshore astatine the RFK tract from Congress to the District of Columbia.

"It was stated that the CR contains $3 cardinal for a stadium," Bowser told reporters during an earlier property convention successful the territory Thursday, discussing $800 cardinal successful arena renovations for the Wizards and Capitals. "All wrong. There are nary national dollars related to the transportation of RFK, and successful truth the authorities does not require aliases nexus astatine each to a stadium. We're talking astir really the District tin put successful removing blight."

The Commanders are considering places successful the district, Maryland and Virginia to build a stadium successful the coming years. Their lease astatine Northwest Stadium successful Landover, Maryland, runs done 2027, and Harris called 2030 a "reasonable target" for a caller one.

The squad played astatine RFK Stadium 2 miles (3.22 kilometers) eastbound of the Capitol from 1961-96 earlier moving to Maryland. Harris and respective co-owners, including Mitch Rales and Mark Ein, grew up arsenic Washington shot fans during that era, which included the glory days of 3 Super Bowl championships from 1982-91.

The RFK tract would beryllium the preferred destination for the organization, aggregate sources person told ESPN, but they tin take to enactment successful Landover and build a stadium astatine their coming site. They already ain the land, and Maryland politician Wes Moore has said he wants to support the team, but the authorities has received guarantees the squad would create the onshore should they leave.

With the onshore transportation proviso nary longer included successful the caller spending bill, the chances of the Commanders returning to the territory diminishes greatly. And if the measure doesn't pass, past it's uncertain really agelong the Commanders would hold to spot if it could beryllium voted connected astatine different point.

Harris has said they'd for illustration to person a caller stadium by 2030, though that's not a patient deadline.

"I don't cognize if there's different way this session," Bowser said. "We've done each we're expected to do, and this is the conveyance that has been identified -- and agreed to by Democrats and Republicans. Have you been to RFK? Anybody? [It is] 177 acres surrounded by asphalt and a stadium that hasn't been utilized successful 10 years that is simply a blight connected the nation's capital. Now, I work together pinch the president-elect connected this point: We want to make our nation's superior the astir beautiful superior successful the world, truthful we person to move and free RFK."

ESPN's John Keim and The Associated Press contributed to this report.