WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), alongside Representatives John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, introduced the Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act to permanently provide the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) the authority to withhold up to the full amount of membership dues to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) if the organization fails to operate as a fair and independent actor to ensure athletes are competing in drug-free Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“As the largest financial contributor to the World Anti-Doping Agency, the U.S. deserves to have complete confidence in WADA’s ability to regulate unlawful doping so that every athlete gets a fair shot no matter their sport or country,” said Senator Blackburn. “The Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act would make sure WADA addresses any potential conflicts of interest and properly enforces international anti-doping standards as it was created to do.”

“Our Olympic athletes deserve to know that they’re competing on a clean field. But for too long they’ve lacked that confidence, given WADA’s failure to uphold transparency and accountability. Our bipartisan, bicameral bill will help provide that, in an effort to restore faith that athletes from around the world are playing on a fair and level field and ensure the integrity of the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Senator Van Hollen, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, which holds jurisdiction over the ONDCP and funding for WADA.

“Athletes around the world deserve to know they are competing on a fair and level playing field at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This bicameral, bipartisan legislation will show Olympians and the world that the United States Congress has the backs of athletes that compete clean and with integrity,” said Chairman Moolenaar.

“It’s imperative that athletes, spectators, and fans across the world be able to have confidence that we have a level playing field for sports at all levels, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act will help keep the world of sport free of performance-enhancing substances by ensuring anti-doping standards are enforced properly, thereby maintaining the integrity of the Olympic and Paralympic Games for clean athletes around the world," said Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi.

• The Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act of 2024 would allow the ONDCP to withhold up to the full amount of membership dues to WADA. The United States is the WADA’s greatest contributor, which makes this a powerful tool. The bill authorizes ONDCP to use all available tools to ensure that WADA fully implements all governance reforms, including a proper conflict-of-interest policy, and that independent athletes from the United States and other democratic countries, or representatives of such athletes, have a decision-making role on WADA’s Executive Committee and governing bodies.

• In April, the New York Times reported that more than two dozen Chinese swimmers tested positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs one month before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The Chinese Anti-Doping Agency secretly cleared the swimmers of the doping. When WADA learned of these positive tests, it chose not to intervene or open up its own investigation. Over a dozen of these swimmers competed in the Olympic games, winning several medals, including gold.
• In May, Senator Blackburn led a bipartisan letter to WADA President Ba?ka demanding his full cooperation with an independent investigation launched into WADA’s failure to enforce international anti-doping standards ahead of the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo.

Click here for bill text.