...
By Kate Plummer
Senior US News Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The Heritage Foundation, the think tank responsible for Project 2025, has issued a report calling for the restoration of "the family home" to secure the next 250 years of America.
The Heritage Foundation is a Washington, D.C.-based conservative think tank founded in 1973. It has been instrumental in advising Republican presidents and lawmakers for decades, notably through its “Mandate for Leadership” documents released ahead of U.S. presidential elections.
Its new report, Saving America by Saving the Family: A Foundation for the Next 250 Years, was released in January and calls for traditional family values and the promotion of marriage and children to ensure what it deems positive outcomes for the U.S.
Read More on Politics
Newsweek reached out to The Heritage Foundation by email for comment.
...
Why It Matters
Project 2025, a 900-page document of policy proposals, drew national scrutiny when it was released in 2024. The report, which advocated limited government, border security and tough immigration laws, among other conservative measures. was said to have influenced President Donald Trump and Republicans ahead of the 2024 presidential election and Trump hired several Project 2025 contributors to administration roles upon taking office.
Other reports by the think tank may prove similarly influential and could shape policy in the years to come. The latest report serves as a useful insight into what the conservative movement believes and its ideal vision for American society.
What To Know
The report called family "the foundation of civilization" and said marriage and children are necessary to make America "thrive."
It said that "all children have a right to the affection" of a man and a woman and that "a loving and stable home" with married biological parents" is an "ideal environment" for children.
It also said that society now favors adults over children and that premise should be flipped.
"Parents have a duty to sacrifice to provide for their children because creation and stewardship go hand in hand," the report said.
This, the report claimed, would lead to greater "social and economic outcomes for Americans."
To ensure families are protected, the report said policymakers should not encourage single parenthood or same-sex marriage and should ensure house prices and advancements in technology support this.
It comes amid falling birthrates across the U.S., where the fertility rate is at a historic low of 1.7 births per woman—lower than the 2.1 births needed to maintain a stable population.
Meanwhile, in 2023, the number of single-person households in the U.S. peaked at 38.1 million, a record high at the time.
It also follows the think tank releasing a draft position paper in September called "We Must Save the American Family" that calls on the Trump administration to enact policies to encourage more people to get married and have children.
What People Are Saying
The Heritage Foundation report: "To end America’s family crisis, policymakers and civic leaders should treat restoring the family home as a matter of justice, driven by two truths. The first is that all children have a right to the affection and protection of the man and woman who created them. The second is that the ideal environment in which to exercise this right is in a loving and stable home with their married biological parents. In contrast, the default in American culture today is to put the desires of adults over the needs of children. Children are too often called to sacrifice what is due to them—the presence of their mom and dad under the same roof for the entirety of their childhood."
What Happens Next
in another report, The Heritage Foundation has outlined its priorities for 2026.
In a polarized era, the center is dismissed as bland. At Newsweek, ours is different: The Courageous Center—it's not "both sides," it's sharp, challenging and alive with ideas. We follow facts, not factions. If that sounds like the kind of journalism you want to see thrive, we need you.
When you become a Newsweek Member, you support a mission to keep the center strong and vibrant. Members enjoy: Ad-free browsing, exclusive content and editor conversations. Help keep the center courageous. Join today.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines