Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, raised concerns in a letter Tuesday to the International Olympic Committee about possible efforts to diminish the role of independent anti-doping organizations, including the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
The letter to IOC president Kirsty Coventry, obtained by ESPN, comes as the United States prepares to host the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Members of Congress from both parties have raised concerns about lax anti-doping protocols amid complaints by USADA and the Trump administration about inequities in testing and doping determinations by WADA.
Blackburn cited that recommendations currently under consideration within WADA "could weaken the authority and effectiveness" of independent national anti-doping organizations. Her letter also raised questions "regarding transparency, accountability and oversight" of some anti-doping agencies.
In an email response, a WADA spokesperson told ESPN the agency's recommendations are designed to strengthen anti-doping systems worldwide, bolster athlete and stakeholder trust in the process and to "mitigate the risks arising from perceptions of bias and conflicts of interest."
WADA has begun collecting feedback on the recommendations, in which the United States may participate, the spokesperson said. The recommendations are slated for discussion and potential adoption at the next executive committee meeting Sept. 10-11 in Serbia.
The IOC has yet to respond to ESPN's request for comment.
Last month, WADA, the world's leading anti-doping authority, recommended excluding host national anti-doping agencies from the "development and monitoring of the test distribution planning," athletes selected for testing or "any part of the results management process."
The recommendation states that event hosts, including international federations, "dedicate sufficient funding for a robust anti-doping program."
WADA specifically recommended excluding host nations from collecting their own athletes' tests or those of countries against which there might be geopolitical or other conflicts with the host.
It is the only one of the 19 recommendations that WADA's executive committee suggested for implementation for starting in 2027. The other 18 remain under review.
"The Olympic Movement should focus on addressing anti-doping systems that lack genuine independence from government authorities, national Olympic committees, or sport governing bodies," Blackburn wrote. "The integrity of global anti-doping efforts is most threatened when organizations responsible for testing and enforcement are subject to political influence or institutional conflicts of interest."
Issues between WADA and the United States escalated after WADA did not punish 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance in 2021. Chinese officials told WADA the swimmers ate tainted food, an explanation WADA accepted.
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy director Sara Carter wrote an open letter in June expressing concern about WADA's recommendations. The United States began withholding its $3.6 million annual WADA dues last year. Blackburn and other members of Congress sought more transparency from WADA -- including an independent audit -- before payments resumed.
In February, President Donald Trump signed the audit provision into law as part of a larger appropriations bill.