Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback says state lawmakers are responsible for the tax cuts that have put his state in a financial hole.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the governor on Thursday told the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce at its annual luncheon that he initially had proposed a flat tax, with reductions elsewhere – or “pay-fors” – to make up for lost revenue.

Yet Brownback touted his income tax cuts last year on the campaign trail and chided naysayers for thinking they wouldn’t lead the state to prosperity. Instead, Kansas is facing a $280 million deficit this fiscal year and $436 million gap in the next.

Senate Democratic Leader Anthony Hensley pointed out that Brownback spent the last year in his campaign bragging about his tax cut experiment.