Government Funds National Campaign to Promote Marriage

The federal government is about to take on a new role -- that of matchmaker.

Washington plans to soon pour $5 million into a national media campaign aimed at 18-to-30 year olds, outlining the benefits of marriage and tips on having a healthy one.

The campaign hinges in part on the Web site, TwoofUs.org, which cycles readers through advice on the traditional stages of a relationship: dating, engagement, marriage and eventually parenting.

Supporters say the campaign is merely providing useful tips for those who want it.

But in an era when millions of people choose to opt out of marriage, critics say Washington is walking a fine line between providing information and advocacy.

"There is a public dimension to marriage, a public interest in marriage and therefore a legitimate governmental role, but government ought to respect the distinction between providing information on the one hand and engaging in advocacy on the other," said William Galston, a fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Some also argue the government shouldn't be funding a push for marriage when it isn't an option for most same-sex couples.

"We leave lesbians-gays-transgender communities out of ... marriage and they do not get the full federal benefits, while they are the tax payers who helped pay for this Web site," said Melody Drnach, vice president for NOW Action.

But organizers say the campaign provides a wealth of useful information for any committed couple, and that at a cost of one penny per taxpayer the potential payoff is enormous.

"There is a huge tax burden involved with divorce and non-marital child bearing," said Paul Amato, sociology professor at Penn State University who is providing research for the National Healthy Marriage Resource Center's campaign. "Every year divorce and non-marital child bearing costs us taxpayers over $100 billion a year. That's year after year after year. That's a lot of money."

Amato said the campaign is not trying to govern romance.

"The government shouldn't be in the job of telling young people what to do with their lives," he said. "Marriage and relationships are very personal decisions. We just want to provide information for people who choose to seek it out."

Under the Bush administration, Congress allocated $750 million to a number of programs aimed at preserving marriages, and there's been no indication the Obama administration plans to discontinue those already-funded programs.

FOX News' Shannon Bream contributed to this report.