A person holding a sign on June 30, 2025, calling for more homes in D.C. instead of a new stadium. (7News)(Courtesy 7News)
The exclusive negotiation period between the Washington Commanders and D.C. expired Tuesday, and the chair of a powerful committee in Congress is expecting swift action from the D.C. Council on a deal that would bring the team back to the nation’s capital.
But a group opposing that deal is hoping to halt the project with a ballot measure.
“Homes Not Stadiums” is going through the process of getting an initiative on the ballot that would block D.C. mayors from licensing or leasing the RFK Campus property.
“What we keep seeing is that the mayors of the District of Columbia negotiate bad deals, bring them to the legislative body, the D.C. Council, and then sort of say, ‘take it or leave it,'” Adam Eidinger, the group’s treasurer, said.
The D.C. Board of Elections must decide if the measure should land on the ballot for voters to consider, but one hurdle for it could be opinions submitted by both D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb and the Office of the General Counsel for the D.C. Council, calling the proposed initiative “not a proper subject for initiative.”
In his advisory opinion to the board of elections, Schwalb argued the ballot measure would negate the budget for the 2026 fiscal year because inside the budget is money earmarked for the RFK redevelopment deal.
Eidinger said despite the opinions submitted, they plan to remain on course and take their case to the board of elections.
His hope is that members on the council support the measure and help put it on the ballot.
“Homes Not Stadiums will go to court if we have to, to fight for the ballot initiative, unless the D.C. Council gets some courage and puts this question of whether or not we should be funding the stadium on the ballot, and lets the voters decide,” Eidinger said.
Eidinger believes the price tag for taxpayers, at around $1 billion, is too high, and said many residents do not support spending that much on this project.
In a statement from D.C. City Administrator Kevin Donahue, he said the investment to return the Commanders to D.C. would “unlock and transform the vacant blighted campus.”
“The District will continue investing in new housing across all eight wards, including on the RFK campus, on a project-by-project basis. Under Mayor Bowser’s leadership, the District has led the country in housing production, and her FY26 budget continues this commitment with $100 million in the fund,” Donahue said.
House Republican urges swift action on RFK deal
Meanwhile, pressure is mounting from the federal level to move the stadium deal forward.
Kentucky Rep. James Comer, a Republican and chair of the powerful House Committee on Oversight and Reform, sent a letter to D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson on Thursday, urging him to quickly move forward in approving the overall $3.7 billion package to redevelop the RFK stadium site.
In the letter, Comer said the committee was disappointed “to see the Council’s vote on the stadium deal delayed, particularly given the significant economic benefits at stake and the clear mandate provided by federal legislation.”
The D.C. Council adjourned for recess last week without moving the proposal forward, and did not take up a vote by the exclusive negotiation period, which expired on Tuesday.
Comer’s letter also reminded Mendelson that the committee has the authority to approve the initiative without the council’s vote.
“The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the principal oversight committee of the U.S. House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate ‘any matter’ at ‘any time’ under House Rule X,” Comer’s letter said, adding that House Rule X also grants the committee “explicit legislative jurisdiction” of the municipal affairs of the District in general.
In an emailed statement, Mendelson said he’s had and continues to have meetings with the Commanders, which have been “very productive and pleasant and constructive.”
“The Council is trying to move towards a positive vote on the stadium. We’re moving as quickly as possible,” Mendelson said.
What’s in the deal to bring the Commanders back to DC?
The nearly $3.8 billion deal, according to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office, will bring jobs, retail, entertainment and homes to the RFK site, in addition to bringing the Commanders back.
The budget package calls for a $1.1 billion public investment for infrastructure upgrades, with $2.7 billion coming from the Commanders organization.
The council has scheduled hearings ahead of an approval vote, with the first one taking place on July 29, and a goal of voting on the deal in the fall. Eidinger, with Homes Not Stadiums, is hopeful the timeline is slowed down by the council.
“If the council can’t agree on funding the Commanders stadium project by Aug. 8, then our ballot initiative still has a chance of impacting the outcome,” he said.
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