Even after her retirement announcement, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert is not free from questions just yet. The 61-year-old has come under a lot of scrutiny in her seventh and final season in this position, surrounding the league’s eligibility rules and player safety policies. Now, members of Congress want answers as well.

Most recently, Congress Representative Mark Harris officially sent a letter to Commissioner Engelbert requesting that the league properly define women as biological females, following the course of events that took place throughout the summer.

“Today, I sent a letter to @WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert urging the league to define women as biological females and establish biological sex as the basis for eligibility in women’s basketball.” Harris wrote on X. “Women’s sports should be for women only. It’s that simple.”

This statement comes on the heels of the discussion around transgender athletes in women’s sports, which first began with Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham’s comments made in an ESPN story back in July.

Cunningham opposed the inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports, doubling down by saying that young girls playing sports “shouldn’t have to go against biological men.” From there, the discussion became a nationwide topic overnight, and the WNBA was in the spotlight.

Harris’ letter was not the first one Engelbert received from Congress. On September 17, five Republican lawmakers sent a letter to Engelbert.

Led by Representative Marlin Stutzman of Indiana, Sheri Biggs, Erin Houchin, John Rose, and Zach Nunn pushed back on the league’s language for player eligibility in its collective bargaining agreement. There were also questions about certain physical play and fan confrontations.

The current WNBA CBA states that only women may compete in the league. While it includes certain eligibility requirements, such as age and remaining collegiate eligibility, the agreement does not explicitly define woman in that clause. All five representatives who signed the letter argued that the WNBA needs to be more specific here, but the league said no immediate eligibility matter was affecting competition.

There was also another incident surrounding former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, who announced their plans to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft back in August. Both of them have been quite vocal about the transgender athlete controversy surrounding the league. Stutzman questioned the absence of specificity in the CBA after the league told major news outlets that neither of them is eligible to participate.

“This action indicates the League certainly understands the biological difference between men and women, and has even gone so far as to enforce that distinction when deciding eligibility,” Stutzman said.

Stutzman added that the league should ensure that it exclusively remains for biological women, citing comments made by Cunningham about “protecting women’s sports” through clear gender policies.

This was not the only thing Stutzman cited. With the letter also containing questions about player and fan safety, the lawmakers asked about the WNBA’s response to physical play between players and whether similar policies are applied whenever a player, coach, or a team member confronts a spectator.

Stutzman provided two examples. First, an August 8 incident between Cunningham and Chicago Sky player DiJonai Carrington. After following through on contact with Cunningham’s head and neck while contesting a layup, Carrington was ejected from the game after receiving a flagrant foul 2.

Immediately, Carrington posted a controversial message on social media, tagging the Indiana Fever. In the letter, Stutzman said that the WNBA did not hand out a suspension or any disciplinary measure to Carrington for her comments on social media and a separate August 12 incident in which he alleged that “Carrington did the same thing” to Golden State Valkyries player Tiffany Hayes.

Stutzman then pointed out an August 23 incident between Freedom and Sky player Natasha Cloud, who confronted Freedom in the middle of a game against the Indiana Fever. Freedom was sitting close to the court wearing a black T-shirt that read “WOMAN noun. adult human female.” Freedom stood up with his arms stretched and approached Cloud towards the court. The Sky player was held back by her teammates, while Freedom was later escorted out of Wintrust Arena.

Here, Stutzman argued that Cloud should have been either fined or suspended by the league, neither of which occurred.

“I am looking forward to the WNBA defining ‘woman’ so we can get back to basketball!” Stutzman shared Mark Harris’ sentiment in a statement sent to USA Today Sports.

Engelbert may be preparing to leave the WNBA, but the questions surrounding her final season are far from over. With Congress now demanding clearer answers on eligibility and player safety, the league’s next chapter could begin with the same scrutiny.