One by one, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser and her allies tackled objections from the bill's chief opponents to carve out a last-minute path to a win in the Senate.

It was 1 a.m. Saturday, and D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser was sitting at the foot of her bed glued to C-SPAN, waiting to see whether the U.S. Senate would deliver the city one of its greatest economic development opportunities this generation in the final hours of the congressional session.

Earlier that evening, all hope appeared lost that Congress would pass the RFK bill, allowing D.C. to redevelop the land surrounding the defunct RFK football stadium, possibly into a new home for the Washington Commanders.