The Heritage Foundation — the think tank behind the infamous Project 2025 policy wishlist, which dragged down Trump’s most recent reelection campaign with its massively unpopular proposals — apparently has a new priority: rounding up the unmarried people and shipping them off to camps.
We’re not joking.
As NBC News reports, the Heritage Foundation is pushing the White House to pass initiatives to financially reward newlyweds, create deeper tax incentives for married couples, discourage online dating — paradoxically, it would seem — and even start opening government-run “marriage bootcamps.”
According to the Heritage Foundation’s framework, called “Saving America by Saving the Family,” the camps would serve as reeducation centers for unmarried couples.
“Successful completion of the program would mean that couples are ready to walk down the aisle at a communal wedding by the end of the bootcamp,” the organization’s screed declares. “The bride and groom would also be matched with a mentor couple to help them to navigate the highs and lows of early married life.”
There’d also be cold, hard cash involved.
“The most innovative aspect of such a program, however, would be to add a monetary incentive for couples to get — and stay — married,” the framework continues. “For example, each couple that completes the program could receive a ‘wedding bonus’ of up to $5,000 on their wedding day to be paid through foundations or private donors, not government funds.”
According to NBC, the total cost of the Saving America by Saving the Family initiative would be $280 billion over the next decade. As to whether taxpayers would pick up the bill, the Heritage Foundation’s documentation notes that the federal government has previously earmarked money for “marriage education programs.”
“A modest investment, I think, [which] will pay off tremendous dividends,” Heritage Foundation vice president of economic and domestic policy Roger Severino told NBC.
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