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President Donald Trump signed a government appropriations bill this week that avoided a partial shutdown, but included inside the legislation was a provision to continue withholding funds to the World Anti-Doping Agency until certain criteria are met.
The decision reflects long-standing concerns from U.S. officials over WADA’s handling of politically sensitive doping cases and turns that criticism into concrete policy. Under the law, a $3.7 million payment will remain frozen until an independent audit — conducted by external anti-doping experts and auditors — verifies that WADA and its leadership are operating in line with their mandated responsibilities.
“Annual contributions to WADA are not conditional — that was a principle established and agreed by all governments when WADA was founded more than 26 years ago. If every government attached conditions to its WADA dues, it would lead to chaos,” WADA spokesman James Fitzgerald said in a statement to The Athletic on Friday.
WADA President Witold Bańka addressed the issue publicly while speaking at a news conference during the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
“I don’t know any other international organization with such strong auditing mechanisms, so I think there are no obstacles for our friends from U.S. to fulfill their duties and pay the contributions,” he said.
The dispute is rooted in long-standing concerns from U.S. officials over WADA’s alleged vulnerability to Chinese influence, concerns that intensified over how the agency handled a 2021 case that involved 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance but ultimately received no sanctions.
“In 2024, WADA facilitated an independent review of its handling of the 2021 no-fault contamination cases involving Chinese swimmers,” Fitzgerald said. “WADA’s activities fall under the oversight of its principal governing bodies, the Executive Committee and Foundation Board, and as a Swiss not-for-profit foundation, its Statutes are registered with and approved by the authorities in Switzerland.”
Skeptics of WADA’s approach — among them U.S. government officials — have maintained that the process fell short in regard to openness and meaningful oversight. The passage of the new law drew praise from Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, a co-sponsor of separate legislation aimed at imposing similar conditions before the United States resumes its financial contributions to the agency.
“We are pleased the appropriations package included provisions to hold WADA accountable,” Blackburn said in a statement to The Athletic. “And we remain committed to making these protections for athletes permanent by passing the Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act to root out the institutional corruption that led to the Chinese doping scandal.”
The measure is also a rare point of bipartisan agreement. The United States had already withheld its 2025 dues to WADA under the Biden administration, signaling continuity in Washington’s position.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy echoed that stance.
“Governments or individuals who seek to manipulate or evade the rules must be held accountable,” said ONDCP Director Sara Carter in a statement to The Athletic. “ONDCP will continue to demand that WADA submit to an independent compliance audit to advance sports integrity and fairness of competition. The United States will not be bullied or manipulated into paying dues to WADA until such is achieved.”
Support for the decision also came from within the U.S. anti-doping community. Travis Tygart, who leads the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and gained recognition for his high-profile investigations into doping cases, including those involving track star Marion Jones and cyclist Lance Armstrong, has long criticized WADA for not, in his view, being rigorous enough in holding athletes and their supporters accountable. In response to the new law, USADA took to social media to endorse the ONDCP’s position.
WADA is pushing back on the demand for an independent audit, insisting that it already undergoes routine audits.
“In 2025, WADA engaged an Internal Auditor who is focused on governance, risk management and internal controls, including assessing compliance with internal policies. WADA’s Intelligence and Investigations Department is also independently audited on an annual basis, and the Agency’s compliance monitoring program is accredited by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO),” Fitzgerald said.
While the withholding of funds is not ideal, WADA insists that it will still be able to continue to monitor global sports, including the Olympics and World Cup, as it has for the last 26 years.
“Clearly, it is not ideal when a government voluntarily withholds its dues. However, additional contributions from other public authorities around the world have substantially mitigated the negative impact. WADA remains in a strong financial position with an annual budget of about USD $56 million,” Fitzgerald said.
WADA rules make it clear that officials from countries that fall behind on payments are barred from serving on the agency’s top governing boards. Rahul Gupta, who served as the U.S. drug czar before Carter, was ousted from WADA’s executive committee the last time the United States skipped a payment.
The standoff comes at a pivotal moment, with the U.S. gearing up to host major international competitions, including the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. This week in Milan, Bańka met with USOPC CEO Gene Sykes and reported a constructive conversation, according to Fitzgerald.
“The government has said it can work with us, so have the organizers of the LA Games, and so have the anti-doping laboratories in the U.S.,” Fitzgerald said.
Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee, which provides a significant portion of WADA’s budget, has yet to weigh in on the ongoing dispute between the U.S. and the agency.