There is an argument made by certain architects that, in its simplest form, goes something like this: Because Hitler liked classical architecture, we have a moral obligation to build ugly buildings.

People who make this argument think that building ugly buildings is a way to atone for the real and perceived sins of 20th-century fascist regimes. It has cooties all the way down: Fascists liked classical architecture, we don’t like fascists, ipso facto, we don’t like classical architecture. Americans have to endure miserable built environments because Mussolini had good taste.

Or maybe they won’t. Fox News’s Patrick Hauf reported that Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, a Republican, introduced legislation to codify Donald Trump’s Executive Order on Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture, one of his final acts as president and the rescinding of which was one of Joe Biden’s first.