GOP Lawmaker Proposes Legislation After Finding Chinese-Owned Stores on U.S. Military Base

The ongoing concern over foreign influence on American soil continues to raise alarms—and in this case, the issue appears particularly clear-cut.

In a brief 45-second video shared Sunday on X (formerly Twitter), North Carolina Republican Rep. Pat Harrigan showcased clips from Fort Bragg, where he pointed out four GNC retail stores. Harrigan, who recently introduced a bill aimed at boosting security on military bases, claimed these stores are owned by the Chinese Communist Party.

The stores are part of GNC, a familiar name in the world of vitamins, supplements, and health products. GNC boasts over 4,000 stores in the U.S. and another 2,000-plus internationally.

As reported by Task & Purpose, a media outlet focused on military affairs, GNC originated in Pittsburgh during the Great Depression as a family-run business. In 2020, following bankruptcy, the company was acquired by Harbin Pharmaceutical Group, a Chinese corporation.

The link between Chinese firms and the Chinese Communist Party has often been ambiguous. Although China's private sector has seen expansion, a significant share of the economy—about 67 percent of market capitalization—remains in the hands of state-owned or mixed-ownership entities, all under the control of the Communist Party since 1949.

This isn’t the first time concerns have surfaced regarding GNC’s Chinese ownership. Back in 2020, then-Senator Marco Rubio (now Secretary of State under President Donald Trump) raised red flags. According to The Wall Street Journal, Rubio requested a national security review of Harbin’s acquisition, warning it could put Americans’ personal data at risk.

“The acquisition of a major health and nutrition chain with over 5,200 retail stores in the United States and an expansive customer base presents the opportunity for state-directed actors to purchase this information legally,” Rubio said at the time.

Harrigan’s recent efforts—including the introduction of H.R. 2551, the Military Installation Retail Security Act of 2025—align with those earlier concerns.

In his video, Harrigan walked through Fort Bragg and pointed out the GNC locations.

“If I have anything to say about this, and I do, they’re not gonna be here for long,” he declared.

He doubled down on that stance in a follow-up post:

“The Chinese Communist Party has no business anywhere near our warfighters!”
As of Tuesday morning, the video had surpassed two million views, reflecting significant public interest in the topic.

Harrigan’s colleague, Rep. Ben Cline of Virginia, echoed the sentiment in a post of his own, writing:

“This is a MAJOR national security threat.”
However, GNC spokesman Nick Sero pushed back on these claims. Speaking to Task & Purpose, Sero stated:

“We are run by a U.S.-based leadership team and are governed by strict U.S. security protocols. Customer data is protected by third-party controls approved by the Department of Defense, and no data is shared with or accessible to our parent company.”
So where does this leave us?

On the one hand, the seemingly endless chorus of “national security” concerns can feel overused. It’s not hard to imagine how some officials could exploit that mantra to justify aggressive policies or paranoia.

On the other hand, the desire to attract foreign investment must be balanced with the need to guard against potential infiltration or undue influence. Americans may welcome the capital, but many—especially Trump supporters—are wary of adversarial foreign entities buying up key domestic companies.

With the situation at Fort Bragg and GNC’s Chinese ownership, some might say it’s a worst-case scenario: a historic American company, now owned by a foreign power, operating inside U.S. military bases. For those who value strong borders and national sovereignty, it’s an issue worth watching closely.