Marriage has become a hot topic in Washington policy circles, stimulated in large part by new Congressional proposals to promote “”healthy”” marriages as part of the reauthorization of welfare. A vigorous debate is underway about the role of government in strengthening marriage. This brief, the first in a new series on Couples and Marriage Research and Policy, explores the question of what the legitimate role of government in promoting marriage might be, outlines some of the objections to government intervention in marriage, discusses the relationship between marriage and poverty, and offers a framework for a reasonable Marriage-Plus approach that focuses on promoting child well-being.