Many are wondering how engaged President Trump actually is on one of his campaign issues: revitalizing the nation’s crumbling infrastructure. Eyes are turning back to Congress for a broad infrastructure package. Yet there is an even bigger issue of the looming insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund.

So, are the stars better aligned for an infrastructure bill this year? Unfortunately, rhetoric only goes so far, and Washington continues to suffer from the same elemental failure as it did in 2017—the U.S. lacks a clear infrastructure vision.

The community development “industry”—a network of nonprofit service providers, real estate developers, financial institutions, foundations, and government—draws on public subsidies and other financing to transform impoverished neighborhoods into better-functioning communities.