Donald Trump has long been known for his obsession with aesthetics as they relate to both humans and inanimate objects. In addition to a disturbing fixation with his eldest daughter Ivanka’s looks, he’s also commented on the beauty of sleeping gas, coal, the Dakota Access Pipeline, his temperament, a mask of his own face, military weapons, Confederate statues, and chocolate cake consumed while bombing another country. He’s also described his wildly unpopular wall on the Mexican border as “beautiful,” and apparently, the government wants to make sure it remains an object of desire in his eyes.

CBS News reports that members of the military deployed near the border have been “assigned to spend a month painting a mile-long stretch of barriers” in the California town of Calexico, according to an email sent to lawmakers from the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday. While DHS attempted to rationalize the absurd use of time, resources, and personnel by saying the paint may combat “camouflaging tactics of illegal border crossers,” it admitted “the primary purpose is to improve the aesthetic appearance of the wall.”

This is more or less in keeping with previous reports that Trump has been micromanaging wall construction, handing out directives to, variously, paint it black, adorn it with spikes, and make it much taller than strictly necessary. “He thinks it’s ugly,” a White House official told the Washington Post last month. As a reminder, the executive brand has declared the situation at the border a “national emergency” and is currently threatening to start a trade war with Mexico unless our neighbors to the south stop undocumented immigrants from coming into the country. DHS has repeatedly asked the Pentagon to deploy more troops to the border, and the administration recently canceled legal aid, English classes, and recreational programs for detained unaccompanied minors, citing budget pressures.

Unsurprisingly, lawmakers weren‘t exactly thrilled by the news that the Trump administration thinks a good use of the military’s time and money is to beautify the wall.

Texas Representative Joaquin Castro echoed Durbin’s statement, saying the project is a “gross misuse” of the troops. “These are soldiers, they are not painters,” Castro told CBS News. And yet!

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