Outgoing Republican Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, whose massive tax cuts starved the state of sufficient revenue throughout much of his term, is decrying the condition of several key facilities in the state this week.
The Kansas City Star reports that Brownback late last week bemoaned the condition of some state-run hospitals and prisons, despite the fact that he has been in charge of the state for the past seven years.
"We’ve got a series of state assets that have been underfunded for years," Brownback told reporters. "I’ve been asking some of you guys to go around and look at some of them whether it’s Lansing or Osawatomie State Hospital."
Brownback also described the aforementioned Osawatomie State Hospital as a "pit," although he said that Parsons State Hospital was in even worse condition.
"You’ve got these state assets that we haven’t put any money into for years," he said.
Kansas’s state budget was in disarray for years after Brownback and the Kansas legislature slashed taxes starting in 2012, as revenue for the state routinely fell well short of projections. This has led the government to make several unpopular budget cuts, including cuts to higher education, that led even Republicans in the state willing to roll back some of the Brownback tax cuts.
Brownback is stepping down as Kansas's governor on Wednesday to take a job with the Trump administration.