Here is the latest from Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren regarding Floyd Landis and the USADA hearings at Pepperdine University:

”I wanted to follow up on my June 6, 2007, email regarding the United States Anti-Doping Agency ( USADA ). My previous email contained an error: in further investigation of the USADA , I have uncovered that while the USADA is not a governmental body and operates independently of direct governmental influence, it does, in fact, receive some federal money in the form of a grant in the yearly Congressional appropriations process along with other, mostly governmental, anti-drug programs. I have included a copy the USADA's annual audit report detailing the amount of federal funding in the previous five years.

I've also enclosed the transcripts of three Congressional hearings in which a representative officer of USADA has testified before Congress on matters of performance-enhancing-drug control policy. I thought this material may be of interest to you.

In addition, I've also shared your concerns regarding the Floyd Landis case with my colleague Congressman Henry Waxman, who is chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which is the committee that would have jurisdiction on this issue.

Again, thanks for being in touch. Please do not hesitate to be in contact on other issues of importance to you.


Sincerely
Zoe Lofgren
Member of Congress “

I do want to thank Congresswoman Lofgren for taking the time to send me several documents...

The USADA financial statements sent to me were from 2002 through 2006. Federal Grants were $6,225,929 in 2002, and up to $8,415,000 in 2006. USOC is their second major source of income: $3,700,000 in 2002, and up to $4,104,967 in 2006.

Legal Expenses were listed in 2002 as “Adjudication” at $1,034,282 and listed as Legal Expenses in 2006 at $1,801,739. It will be interesting to see what the Legal Expenses are for 2007...

General and Administrative Expenses were $1,121,613 in 2002 and dropped to $833,109 by 2006, but that was an increase from the 2005 number of $741,334...

USADA shows Investment Income with “Gains on Investment” in 2002 of $17,239 and steadily rising to Investment at $131,404 in 2006. Hmmm - wonder what companies they invest in?

USADA has income from Third Party Testing. In 2002, it was $116,677, rising to $291,466 in 2006.

Note this document: S 529 To Authorize Appropriations for the US Anti-Doping Agency. This was before the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation of the United States Senate. May 24, 2005. This is a 28-page document. Barbara Boxer is on this committee from my state of California. I have not received a response from Senator Boxer to the letter that I sent... Maybe she forgot that she was there, too...

The Anabolic Steroid Act of 2004 Hearing was before the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security of the Committee on the Judiciary - House of Representatives on March 16, 2004. Among the members of the Committee of the Judiciary is listed one Zoe Lofgren of California...(Obligatory Editorial Sarcasm: How quickly we forget...) This is a 43-page document.

Congresswoman Lofgren’s staff sent a 150 page document from the Hearing on Steroid Use in Professional and Amateur Sports by the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation of the US Senate in March 2004. Wonder what their expertise was in Sports? Silly me...

Letter writers take note: According to Lofgren, the person to communicate with is Congressman Henry Waxman, who is chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which is the committee that would have jurisdiction on this issue.

And the committee that approves USADA budget appropriations appears to be the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation of the United States Senate .