The Heritage Foundation, the right-wing think tank group behind Project 2025, has released a paper that suggests the government promote heterosexual marriage and procreation in the United States through monetary incentives, infrastructure advantages, marriage “bootcamp” programs and more.
The paper “Saving America by Saving the Family” claims that declining marriage and birth rates could lead to the economic and moral collapse of the country. It also blames left-wing policies, such as offering assistance to single parents, as contributing factors to the problem.
Authors of the paper suggest that a “whole of government” approach is needed to fix the problem. It suggests everything from the Department of Transportation prioritizing grants to cities or towns with higher marriage and birth rates to Congress giving generous tax credits to families with three or more children.
However, many of the policies appear specifically geared toward encouraging traditional gender roles, religious values and heterosexual marriages while brushing aside economic and other challenges. That includes asking the government to adopt stances that caution against online dating, contradict claims that climate change poses a threat to Earth, promote family education in public schools, claw back IVF subsidies and more.
Overall, the paper urges lawmakers and the president to enhance oversight, regulation, and policies related to marriage and children – an idea that contradicts traditional Republican values of limited government.
Among the most eye-catching is a suggestion that the Department of Health and Human Services could collaborate with local nonprofits, including churches, to provide a marriage “bootcamp” for couples. The program would cover topics such as communication, money management, fidelity and blended families and then host a “communal wedding” at the end for the couples involved.
Notably, authors encourage the government to find ways to financially incentivize heterosexual marriages between U.S. citizens, one of whom works full-time.
The paper proposes Congress offer generous tax credits to families – and expand the financial benefits when they have three children or more, and allow married couples to increase their IRA retirement account investments.
It also expands on President Donald Trump’s “Trump accounts” idea for newborns, by suggesting the government provide newlyweds, 30 years old and younger, with an investment account that has seed money of $2,500. To promote home ownership, the authors suggest the Federal Reserve stop purchasing mortgage-backed securities and local governments eliminate rent-controlled housing.
While providing married couples with benefits, the authors ask lawmakers to lessen government assistance for single parents by adding work requirements, capping alimony payments and preventing single parents from “stacking” benefits for section 8 housing.
The paper also suggests the government can help deter divorce by adding requirements for a couple to be married for a certain number of years to receive benefits. It recommends states “push back” on no-fault divorce filings to make it more difficult to end such marriages or make 50-50 child custody the default.
Authors of the paper encourage the government to promote religious freedom, which they claim is closely tied to marriage and children, through a universal “day of rest” and giving churches more opportunity to collaborate with local, state and federal governments on policy.
It also cautions people against online dating, which they say encourages casual dating and premarital sex, watching online pornography and using artificial intelligence robots to fulfill romantic relationship needs.
Starkly, the paper also cautions against the use of IVF to promote childbearing, despite Trump’s stated desire to expand access to the fertility treatment. The authors argue that access to IVF does not noticeably increase birth rates and contributes to the perspective that embryos, which they claim are human life, can be destroyed.
In a draft version of the published pieces, obtained by the Washington Post, authors offer an appendix of ideas that could assist in promoting marriage and children, but have not been explored enough to be formally endorsed.
Some of these ideas include allowing parents an extra half vote for each child they have, banning pornography, restoring prayer in public schools, making abortions expensive, and challenging same-sex marriage protections.
