Paul Ryan Knocks Obama's Small Business Record

At a Friday campaign rally in Glen Allen, Va., Rep. Paul Ryan took on the Obama administration for imposing laws and taxes that he said cripple America’s small businesses.

“We should not have a government that stands in the way, that erects barriers to small business,” said Ryan, the presumptive Republican vice presidential nominee. “What is the president doing?” he asked the crowd. “More regulations, more uncertainty, more borrowing, more spending, more taxing."

Small business success has been a hot topic this election cycle, with candidates from both sides attempting to woo owners and highlight their records for voters. Still, small business optimism fell in July for the second straight month, according to a survey conducted by the National Federation of Independent Businesses. Separate research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that business owners continue to struggle to get loans.

Ryan also took the opportunity to criticize the president for his now infamous “you didn’t build that” remarks, which have led to accusations by the Romney campaign that Obama doesn’t think entrepreneurs build their businesses.

Ryan said his running mate “is living proof that if you have a small business, you built that small business."

But Ryan’s own stance on small business may soon be called into question by the opposition, the Los Angeles Times noted. Ryan voted against the Small Business Jobs Act in 2010, which implemented tax cuts and a lending fund for small businesses. Most Republicans opposed the bill, but the NFIB, which tends to be right-leaning, praised the legislation.

For more on Ryan’s stance on small business, check out the Washington Post’s analysis of the Wisconsin congressman’s record.