President-elect Donald Trump and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser had a meeting on Monday to discuss the president's return to Washington which comes on the heels of Congressional action that transferred the RFK stadium site to the city's control, as the unique city looks toward the future hopeful of a productive relationship with the new administration and a Republican-controlled Congress.
"We discussed areas for collaboration between local and federal government, especially around our federal workforce, underutilized federal buildings, parks and green spaces and infrastructure," said Bowser in a statement posted on X.
The city is preparing for Trump's second inauguration and scored a $90 million budget appropriation to help pay for extra costs incurred during the transition. The approval was part of the continuing resolution signed into law just before Christmas.
"I am optimistic that we will continue to find common ground with the President during his second term and we look forward to supporting a successful inauguration on January 20," said Mayor Bowser.
Washington, which boasts a triple-A bond rating, has a complex arrangement with the federal government as it pertains to oversight powers over the city's budget.
The city's leadership team has noted that the threat of government shutdowns and arguments over the debt ceiling affects Washington's standings with the
Congress has been known to tack on contentious legislative riders to budget requests but the CR, which keeps the government open till March 14 also included a popular rider that transfers the crumbling RFK stadium site to Washington.
The city has a lively history of issuing bonds to support its sports franchises including a planned
The RFK site, which is about two miles east of the Capitol building, currently sits mostly idle and includes 174-acres of surface parking lots and the stadium which was the home Washington's professional football team from 1961-1996. The team moved to a new stadium in Landover, Maryland.
Washington D.C. leadership plans to renovate the site into a mixed-use development that will include residential, entertainment, and retail elements to lure the National Football League's Commanders back to the city.
Trump and Bowser butted heads during Trump's first administration after he proposed staging a military parade that the city said would cost $92 million to produce. The handling of Black Lives Matter protests staged in the city also spurred acrimony between the two.
While on the campaign trail, Trump called out the city's leadership saying, "We will rebuild our cities, including our capital in Washington D.C., which has become a very dangerous and badly managed place. We're going to make them safe, clean and beautiful again."
For now, it appears the Republican President-elect and the Democratic Mayor are back on friendlier terms.
"President Trump and I had a great meeting to discuss our shared priorities for the President's second term," said Bowser. "President Trump and I both want Washington D.C. to be the best, most beautiful city in the world and we want the capital city to reflect the strength of our nation."
