(DC Pundit) – When most people think of threats to national security, they probably picture cyberattacks, espionage, or spy balloons floating aimlessly over the Midwest. What they don’t expect is walking into a store on a U.S. military base and being greeted by shelves of vitamins owned by a Chinese Communist Party-backed company. And yet, here we are.
Rep. Pat Harrigan, a Republican from North Carolina and U.S. Army Special Forces combat veteran, is not exactly the type to let that slide. In a short but pointed 45-second video posted on X, Harrigan gave Americans a quick tour of Fort Bragg—home to some of our most elite military units—and identified not one, not two, but four GNC retail stores operating right there on base. That might not seem like a big deal until you realize GNC is owned by Harbin Pharmaceutical Group, a Chinese state-backed firm that bought the supplement giant out of bankruptcy in 2020.
While Americans have been focused on fentanyl pouring across the southern border and TikTok mining personal data, the Chinese Communist Party has been casually setting up shop inside our own military installations. You really can’t make this stuff up.
Back in 2020, when the acquisition was still pending, then-Senator Marco Rubio—now serving as Secretary of State in the Trump administration—raised serious red flags. Rubio warned, “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.” You’d think that would be enough to raise eyebrows, if not sirens.
Apparently not.
The Chinese Communist Party doesn’t just rule with an iron fist at home—they’ve perfected the art of playing the long game. Sure, China’s economy includes private companies on paper. But when 67% of market capitalization in the country is either state-owned or under “mixed ownership,” the line between business and government is more illusion than reality.
That’s exactly why Rep. Harrigan introduced the Military Installation Retail Security Act of 2025 (H.R. 2551). It’s a bill aimed at kicking CCP-backed companies off U.S. bases and tightening the security loopholes that allowed this circus to roll into town in the first place.
“If I have anything to say about this, and I do, they’re not gonna be here for long,” Harrigan declared, standing in front of one of the GNC stores at Fort Bragg. He followed that up on social media by stating, “The Chinese Communist Party has no business anywhere near our warfighters!”
I went to Fort Bragg, the heart of our Special Operations Forces, and found not one, not two, not three… but FOUR CCP-owned GNCs operating on base.
The Chinese Communist Party has no business anywhere near our warfighters! pic.twitter.com/Q5ZEs3drMg
— Congressman Pat Harrigan (@RepPatHarrigan) April 6, 2025
Rep. Ben Cline of Virginia chimed in with backup, calling the situation a “MAJOR national security threat.”
This is a MAJOR national security threat: GNC, owned by the Chinese state-run Harbin Pharmaceuticals, operates 85 locations on U.S. military bases—including 7 in Virginia. They’re trying to hide their ties to China by failing to disclose ownership on https://t.co/6xrcB6svkS. We… https://t.co/gtIr1EPdRH
— Congressman Ben Cline (@RepBenCline) April 7, 2025
Call it what it is: a perfect example of how not paying attention to the fine print can let your adversary set up shop in your own backyard. Or, in this case, your own military base.
At a time when the left seems more interested in policing pronouns than policing foreign influence, it’s encouraging to see someone actually standing up for our troops. Maybe it’s time we stop handing the keys to America, to the very people who dream of locking us out.
Copyright 2025. DCPundit.com | Featured image credit: Morning Calm Weekly Newspaper Installation Management Command, U.S. Army
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