President Obama on Monday brushed off Republicans who say he’s in love with big government.

“I do not believe in regulation for regulation’s sake, contrary to rumor,” Obama told a gathering of the National Governors Association. “This idea that somehow I get a kick out of big government is just not the case.”

Republicans have chided Obama for years for his penchant to issue sweeping regulations on areas where he disagrees with Congress, including climate change, gun control and immigration.
The president’s use of executive power has been a major point of debate on the 2016 presidential campaign. GOP candidates have pledged to roll back many of his most controversial actions while Democrats have said they would keep them in place, or in some cases, expand them.