Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris does not expect a resolution on the congressional bill to redevelop the former Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C., until after Election Day.
The bill, which passed in the House of Representatives in February, has been held up in the Senate, as Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) wants the team’s former logo, which depicts a Native American designed after Walter “Blackie” Wetzel, a member of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana, to be honored. The team has been in talks with the Wetzel family over honoring the former logo.
Harris told reporters on Sunday during a press conference ahead of the team’s final preseason game that he does not expect the bill to have any movement until the lame-duck congressional session after Election Day.
“Everyone’s focused on the election. So, this is the kind of thing that would have to be part of a series of bills that would go through in the lame-duck session. So, it’s not really realistic to think that’s going to happen before the election,” Harris said.
The Commanders owner also said he hopes to get the bill passed through prior to a new Congress and new presidential administration, noting it would be hard to predict what they would do in the future. Harris also said that 2030 seems like a “realistic target” for a new stadium in either Maryland, Washington, or Virginia.
The Senate is scheduled to return from its summer working period on Sept. 9 and will remain in session until Sept. 27, when it will go on recess until Nov. 12. The Senate is scheduled to adjourn for the final time this Congress on Dec. 20.
The Commanders have played at their stadium in Landover, Maryland, since 1997 after playing at RFK Stadium in Washington from 1961 until 1996. The team has been exploring a new stadium since before Harris and the current ownership group bought the team in 2023.
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Washington avoided losing the Wizards and Capitals to Virginia earlier this year, and if it could secure a new stadium for the Commanders, it would mean all four major sports league teams would play within the District of Columbia.
If the bill to redevelop the land around RFK Stadium passes in the Senate, it would require the signature of President Joe Biden before it could go into law. If the bill does not pass before the end of the current Congress, it would have to be reintroduced in the next Congress and passed in the House again before getting back to its current status.