Approval for the $3.7 billion deal to bring the Washington Commanders back to D.C. could be delayed until at least the fall. This comes as the D.C. Council debates the fiscal 2026 budget, which includes both funding and language for the deal.
Ward 5 Council member Zachary Parker confirmed on X that the council discussed removing some “policy language,” while also leaving the money for the project earmarked by Mayor Muriel Bowser in her proposed budget.
“We were explicit about leaving the funding in place so the Council can do our due diligence: to fully evaluate the deal and, if possible, improve it for the benefit of all D.C. residents with a vote sometime this fall,” Parker wrote.
This morning, Councilmembers discussed removing several BSA subtitles from the budget, including potentially the policy language tied to the RFK Stadium Development Deal.
We were explicit about leaving the funding in place so the Council can do our due diligence: to fully…
— Councilmember Zachary Parker (@CMZParker5) June 10, 2025
Council Chairman Phil Mendelson also posted on X that the council has no plans to remove RFK funding from the budget.
“In fact, I have said explicitly that the funding will be cabined, in other words, protected,” Mendelson said.
Despite reporting to the contrary, there are no plans to the take the RFK funding out of the budget. In fact, I have said explicitly that the funding will be cabined, in other words, protected.
— Phil Mendelson (@ChmnMendelson) June 10, 2025
The move comes as some members of the council have expressed anger and concern over the mayor’s call for the stadium decision and funding to be included in the budget, after the council saw delays in receiving the budget from the mayor. The mayor blamed Congress for the delays after it created and failed to fix a budget shortfall for the current fiscal year.
This would tie the council to a deadline of July 28 not only to debate the city’s spending for the next budget year, but to also debate and approve the plan to redevelop the RFK campus, which would cost taxpayers around $1 billion.
“This can’t be the thing that takes up all the oxygen in the room,” Ward 1 Council member Brianne Nadeau said.
Due to Congress’ actions, the council is not only debating the budget for the next fiscal year, but also the supplemental budget during the 70-day budget process. Nadeau, who doesn’t support the deal due to the cost to taxpayers, said the council and the council’s staff have too much on their plates to include the stadium deal in this process.
“It’s just ludicrous to me that we would even get it done by the 28th. We’ve never put together a stadium deal in less than seven months in this city, let alone one that subsidizes a billion dollars of investments,” Nadeau said.
Keeping the funds for the project in the budget but removing other language that would green-light the deal would keep the stadium deal alive. What remains unclear is how long Commanders owner Josh Harris would keep the team’s offer on the table.
Parker, in his statement, also said during this process, “the public deserves a transparent, community-centered process—not a rushed decision.”
Though NBC Washington Reporter Mark Segraves reported a discussion on the deal that happened behind closed doors, during a meeting he was asked to leave as a member of the media. The council has received criticism recently for changing transparency laws to allow for more unannounced closed-door meetings.
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