The Politics Hour: D.C. Council approves RFK stadium deal; Virginia elections heat up

After some last-minute negotiations, the D.C. Council gave its final approval to a $3.7 billion deal to build a football complex at the RFK Stadium site and bring the Washington Commanders back to the District. Supporters hailed it as a transformative project for the city, one that will bring a domed stadium, retail, housing, and green space to a site along the Anacostia River currently occupied by what's left of the old RFK stadium. Ward 7 D.C. Councilmember Wendell Felder represents the area, and he joined the show to discuss the vote and what comes next.

We talked about the several changes councilmembers proposed before Wednesday's vote, though only minor tweaks were made in the end. Those included stricter environmental standards and stiffer penalties for missing development deadlines. Felder was able to secure an additional $60 million over the next thirty years for a community reinvestment fund. The money, he said, will help Ward 7 residents.

"The fund will go towards housing displacement prevention, revitalization of blighted and vacant units, health programs, and create more opportunities for small and local businesses."

Felder also said the stadium will serve as an anchor development for attracting investment. Plus, we also asked him about the council passing the RENTAL Act, which proponents hope will attract more investment in housing, and extending the city's youth curfew.

The Virginia statewide elections are heating up, with early voting getting underway this week. The lieutenant governor's race could be the most competitive, with both sides now pouring money into the campaign. Virginia state Senator and Democratic candidate Ghazala Hashmi joined the show to discuss the race, data centers, and advocating for public schools.

The Department of Education is threatening to withhold millions of dollars in federal funding from Northern Virginia schools due to the districts’ policies of allowing students to use bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity. Hashmi said the federal government should not be interfering.

We are very clear in Virginia that we have local authority over our school districts," she said. "And I trust our local school boards, our local administration to be making the decisions that are best for their communities." She called the “federal overreach” a distraction from the schools’ mission of student learning.