(NewsNation) — The Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank behind Project 2025, has a new rallying cry: “We must save the American family.”
Known for advocating for small government and conservative economic policy, the group is now promoting polices that call for deeper federal government involvement in family life, including encouraging married couples to have more children.
A new five-page draft paper obtained by the Washington Post outlines proposals such as:
- New government-funded savings accounts for married couples, financed by cutting federal child care programs like Head Start.
- Cash bonuses for couples who have more children.
- A review of all federal programs to determine their impact on marriage and the nuclear family, with the possibility of eliminating those that don’t promote the family model.
The Heritage Foundation insists these policies aren’t meant to penalize people who don’t have children, but rather to encourage growth.
Emma Waters, the group’s policy director, told NewsNation the goal is to ask, “What is best for children, and how can we promote their flourishing in the United States?”
Group wants ‘Manhattan Project’ for babies
The plan urges President Donald Trump to issue executive orders requiring agencies to measure the impact of every policy on marriage and family. It also calls for a “Manhattan Project to restore the nuclear family.”
According to the Washington Post, the paper blames falling birth rates and rising loneliness on “free love, pornography, careerism, the pill, abortion, same-sex relations, and no-fault divorce.”
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau underscores the shift — in 1949, nearly 80% of U.S. households were headed by married couples. By 2024, that number dropped to fewer than 50%.
People are too worried to have kids: Professor
The proposals align with Trump’s push to boost birth rates and reward “traditional family values.” The Heritage Foundation’s paper reportedly argues that falling fertility is a crisis and requires federal action.
Still, critics have said the plan excludes same-sex couples and nontraditional families and argue that it fails to address the underlying reasons why Americans aren’t having children.
“Having children is a long-term commitment. When you don’t feel that you’re likely to be on an upward trajectory of things getting better, it’s hard for you to want to make this commitment,” said Karen Guzzo, director of the Carolina Population Center at the University of North Carolina.
She added, “People are still open to having kids, they’re interested in having kids, but they wanna have kids if they feel like they have a good life, they have good jobs, they have a good future.”
The debate raises a core question that could shape the 2026 midterms: Should government be in the business of defining which families count, and paying them to grow?
What is Project 2025?
The Project 2025 handbook serves as a guide for the president, outlining strategies to reshape and expand the executive branch’s power.
Building off four pillars — a policy agenda, personnel, training and a “180-day playbook” — Project 2025 organizers sought to “pave the way for an effective conservative administration.” It also calls for:
- Firing as many as 50,000 federal workers by reclassifying them as political appointees.
- Eliminating the Department of Education and curbing the independence of agencies like the Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department.
- Reversing Biden-era climate policies and boosting fossil fuels.
- Rolling back abortion access, including restricting abortion pills and penalizing providers.
- Reinstating service members discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.
Project 2025 authors now staffing Trump administration
Trump disavowed the plan during his presidential campaign last year, posting on his social media site that he had “no idea” who was behind Project 2025 and knew “nothing” about it. However, dozens of its authors and contributors now serve in his administration.
Key figures include:
- Russell Vought, Trump’s pick to direct the Office of Management and Budget, wrote plans to overhaul the executive branch, according to NBC News.
- Peter Navarro, a longtime former aide, is now Trump’s senior trade counselor. He proposed sweeping tariffs and measures against China.
- Brendan Carr, tapped to lead the Federal Communications Commission, wrote the Project 2025 chapter calling for stricter regulation of Big Tech and TikTok.
- Adam Candeub, the general counsel for the FCC, wrote a Project 2025 chapter pushing for broader antitrust enforcement.
The list includes nearly 300 contributors preceding the playbook, and several others have also landed in Trump’s administration.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.