Efforts to remove Chinese-owned GNC from US military bases gained momentum this week as RN.C. Sen. Ted Budd introduced companion laws in a House-led bill targeting nutrition retailers.
Currently, approximately 85 GNC stores operate at US military facilities.
Rep. Pat Harrigan (RN.C.) first introduced a bill that bans companies from doing business on American bases, citing concerns about national security and espionage.
Currently, fellow North Carolina Republicans lead similar efforts in the Senate, denounced stores as hubs for “abusing personal data.”
Bad is R-Ark. , Rick Scott Sen. Sen. Cotton of R-Fla participated in introducing the Retail Security Act for Military Facilities.
In Fort Bragg, North Carolina, four GNCs serve approximately 53,700 troops, almost 10% of the US Army.
“The hostile countries do not own or operate US military bases, but they acquire personal identification information from American citizens just to make a profit,” Budd said in a statement.
“We should not allow US Chinese companies, let alone our military bases.
This bill ensures that our enemies cannot exploit our troops,” Cotton added.
While much of Congress has focused on preventing China's land acquisition near US military facilities, Harrigan said he is wary of realizing that Chinese-owned companies have already been largely overlooked at US bases.
“It's even more crazy [than foreign land purchases]Harrigan told Fox News Digital last week.
In June 2020, vitamin retailer GNC filed for bankruptcy and was fully acquired by Harbin Pharmaceuticals, a partially state-owned Chinese company that had already purchased a 40% stake in the company in 2018.
In 2019, GNC agreed to integrate its production with International Vitamin Corporation (IVC), which has a consortium of Chinese investors.
The company, founded in Pittsburgh, had already been operating at US bases for years at the time of sale, so the possibility of helping China surveillance at military bases was overlooked.
Approximately 85 GNC stores in the military facility operate under “long-term concessions” agreements. That is, GNC is directly operated, staffed and supplied.
“We are pleased that Senator Budd stepped in to support this progress and ensure that CCP-owned companies have zero locations within the US military infrastructure,” Harrigan said of the new Senate bill.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a GNC spokesman pushed the law and said, “Our system is independently monitored, meets strict federal standards and participates in multiple audits throughout the year.”
“We love our military customers. Their happiness always comes first, whether it's their personal health or the security of information. We are honored to be part of their community.
Harrigan said stores can identify vulnerable individuals by tracking frequent purchases of testosterone, sleep aids or other supplements.
He added that it could potentially monitor the deployment cycle based on changes in purchasing patterns.
WiFi and mobile data tracking in the store could reveal the geographic information of the squad, Harrigan argues, and malicious links or software can be embedded using loyalty apps or promotional emails.
“This should be common sense,” Scott said. “It is a completely unacceptable threat to allow companies managed by our biggest foreign enemies, such as communist China, Russia, and North Korea, to operate at US military bases.”
