If the Department of Labor continues to make it difficult for companies to hire American workers, Marco Rubio warned, robots would take over key jobs in the economy.

During a town hall in Okatie, S.C., Rubio warned that the Department of Labor was too big, too powerful, and turned into “anti-business agency” that hurt the private sector.

Rubio made his remarks after a supporter tried to make light of the recent “robot” criticism of Rubio’s campaign message delivery.

“As far as the robot stuff, just keep in mind the Terminator was elected twice in California,” the supporter joked when he got the microphone. But the questioner quickly turned serious, asking what Rubio what he would do as president to control the Department of Labor.

“You joke about robots, let me tell you what all these rules are going to do, they’re going to accelerate pace of automation,” Rubio said, referring to the increased amount of job losses through automated machines.

“Maybe you can’t do that in a management position … but maybe you can,” he warned. “The more expensive you make people, the faster they’re going to move to a machine or outsourcing. It’s just going to happen.”

Rubio criticized President Obama’s Labor Secretary Thomas Perez who was “basically a representative of labor unions masquerading as the head of the Department of Labor” arguing that it had become “the worst it has ever been.” He pointed out that it was part of Obama’s “systematic effort” to make the government be in charge of running the economy — including health care and education.

Rubio spoke to a crowd about about 500 people in Okatie this morning according to his campaign, answering several questions about what he would do as president.