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From their website

USADA began operations Oct. 1, 2000. Its board consisted of nine members, five of whom came from outside the Olympic family and four of whom (two each) were elected by the Athlete Advisory Council (AAC) and National Governing Body (NGB) Council.

USADA was given full authority to execute a comprehensive national anti-doping program encompassing testing, adjudication, education, and research, and to develop programs, policies, and procedures in each of those areas.

In 2003 the Board further extended its independence by choosing to consider recommendations from the AAC and NGBs, but ultimately electing its own members. USADA is still an evolving organization, and its history is still being written.

Yikes...


And for some contrast as to why <source>:

Before you throw away your Postal jersey and Discovery bibs, here are a few facts from a very interesting article written by Tim Dockery from the web site Opposing Views.

A similar investigation led by the United States Department of Justice concluded in February, 2012. After almost two years of investigation, and millions of US tax dollars spent researching Armstrong’s past, the USDOJ decided there wasn’t enough evidence to continue the investigation.

Despite the officially sounding name, it turns out the “United States Anti-doping Agency is not a part of the federal government. Although it receives almost 70 percent of its funding from the federal grants, the USADA is a government program masquerading as a non-profit organization. This non-profit status allows it to investigate and prosecute athletes without affording them the constitutional and due process protections required of other federal agencies. This status also allows it to prosecute athletes with a lower burden of proof than the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard that would have been required in the previous investigation by the USDOJ. Finally, it allows a situation where the same man, Mr. Travis T. Tygart (The CEO)is allowed to serve as Prosecutor, Jury and Judge in the investigation of Lance Armstrong.

Armstrong is being tried and more or less convicted by a federally funded “club.”

He had his day in “court” and nothing came out of it. For some reason, the USADA acting as a group of doping vigilantes, has stepped, lit the touches, thrown on their hoods and has come after Armstrong.

We just can't have success these days. If someone builds something, someone else has to take credit for it or steal it. If they can't do either, they take it away and leave a smoldering crater.

Whether or not he 'doped' (and countless random tests have proven as scientifically as possible that he didn't), I admire him and his achievements.