How a potential NFL stadium project brought together Sens. Mike Lee and Bernie Sanders

Sens. Mike Lee and Bernie Sanders were the lone votes Tuesday against legislation that would help make it possible for the Washington Commanders to build a new stadium in Washington, D.C.
The two men voted no on the D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act, which was in front of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
The bill, which passed the House in February, would give D.C. control over what’s called the RFK Stadium site, allowing for its redevelopment and potentially for a new stadium for the Commanders, who currently call Northwest Stadium in Maryland home, according to The Washington Post.
“D.C. has long sought to gain control of the federal parkland around the rusting shell of a stadium that once housed the glory days of Washington’s football team. (Mayor Muriel) Bowser has made the riverfront redevelopment opportunity a centerpiece of her economic agenda, pitching a buzzy mixed-use attraction including restaurants, retail and housing, with the stadium at the center of it,” the article said.
Seventeen of the 19 senators who voted on the bill Tuesday decided to advance it, giving D.C. leaders hope it will pass before the end of the year.
But as the bill moves forward, Maryland officials are ramping up their attacks on it. They don’t want to miss out on the economic perks that come with hosting an NFL team.
“In a statement to The Washington Post, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) directly came out against the legislation for the first time, calling the proposal ‘not in the best interest of the American taxpayer,’” the Post reported.
Even if the RFK proposal becomes law, Maryland would still have the opportunity to pitch a new stadium project of its own. But the D.C. land would create competition, likely making it so that Maryland leaders would have to shell out more money to keep the Commanders.
A Washington Post-Schar School poll from earlier this year found that 51% of people in the D.C. area believe that the next Commanders stadium should be built in the district, The Washington Post reported.
Lee and Sanders are both known for not being shy about voting against the crowd, so in that sense, their votes on Tuesday were not surprising.
What was notable is that they voted the same. The two men typically have different takes on political issues.
However, Lee and Sanders have worked together in the past, including on foreign policy issues.
In 2020, Lee co-sponsored a bill from Sanders that aimed to “freeze funding for any military action in Iran without express approval from Congress,” per CNN.
And last year, Lee and Sanders shared similar messages on the war between Israel and Hamas, arguing that Hamas wouldn’t respect a permanent ceasefire agreement, as KSL reported at the time.
Lee and Sanders did not issue statements on their “no” votes Tuesday, but Lee has previously said that D.C. should have to pay for the RFK site instead of gaining control of it through legislation.