Comer: Redevelopment Plan for the RFK Memorial Stadium Site is a Bipartisan Success Story

WASHINGTON-Today, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) commended the D.C. Council for completing all necessary legislative action to advance the redevelopment of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus in the District of Columbia.

"The redevelopment plan for the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus is a bipartisan success story, and I commend the D.C. Council for taking the final step today to turn this long-awaited vision into reality for our nation's capital. The House Oversight Committee has a constitutional duty to oversee Washington, D.C. and our legislative work shows we are taking this responsibility seriously and delivering real results. Revitalizing the RFK Memorial Stadium site has been a key economic priority for the city, and I'm proud to have worked alongside Mayor Muriel Bowser to turn this long-neglected property into a world-class destination that will serve residents and visitors alike. The Committee will continue to work with D.C. officials to ensure a capital city that is prosperous and beautiful for generations to come."

Background:

Despite its long history and importance to D.C. residents, the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium campus in Southeast D.C. has been abandoned to become unused parking lots, open fields, and a deteriorating stadium that is being demolished. In July 2023, Chairman James Comer introduced the D.C. Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act (H.R. 4984), bipartisan legislation that transfers administrative jurisdiction over the RFK stadium site from the Secretary of the Interior to the District of Columbia. The bill ensures federal ownership of the land and allows the District of Columbia to use the land for stadium redevelopment, commercial and residential development, and other public purposes. In addition, the legislation prohibits federal taxpayer funds from being used for any future stadium redevelopment at the site. The Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) analysis of the legislation indicated the bill would have no impact on the federal deficit.

Chairman Comer's legislation passed the House of Representatives previously in February 2024, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in November 2024, and the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent on December 21, 2024. In January 2025, former President Joe Biden signed into law the D.C. RFK Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act.