I don't recall hearing the government say that they want us to live on Mars. The only thing said about humanity on Mars is by NASA, stating that they plan to send astronauts to Mars by the 2030s. I doubt the government would just throw us on Mars without any more information. NASA is sending astronauts there to simply describe what it would be like while living on Mars. They would get information such as how many days a human could survive, etc.
The main reason for their mission is to of course, gather information and attempt to see if one can settle down on Mars for a life-time. Wouldn't it be an experience to see settlements on Mars? I believe it would. This could also give us more a better observation on other planets, and/or exoplanets.