WASHINGTON -- They're from the government and they're here to tweet.

Have a question about federal student aid? Need to get your State Department news in Russian? Want Vice President Joe Biden to explain off-shore drilling policies?

If you can ask your question in 140 characters or less, you're good to go.

Government officials from all sectors are reaching out to the Twitterverse to engage citizens on all sorts of issues from student aid to Turkish diplomacy.

"Sitting down, ready to chat," David Huebner, ambassador to Samoa and New Zealand, chirped Thursday at the start of an online session advertised as a chance to ask about human rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people.

He got only one question on that topic. Instead, the Schuykill County native was asked whom he's rooting for in the Super Bowl and how a kid from a coal mining town grew up to be a lawyer.

"Have always preferred 'amateurs' to 'pros.' Plus, raised in Nittany Lion territory where the only sport was #PennState football," @DavidHuebner tweeted with 13 characters to spare.

To the latter, he responded: "Liked to argue. Perceived lawyers as making a difference in govt. Saw lawyers during 1970s doing great good."

A half-hour earlier, Martha Kanter, Education Department undersecretary, opened a separate "Twitter Town Hall" to answer questions about filling out Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

"Should students fill out a FAFSA every year, even if they did not receive aid the first time?" came one question, to which Ms. Kanter responded moments later: "There's NO income cut-off for federal student aid. Everyone should fill out the FAFSA."

Her office is one of the newest in the Twitosphere. The @FAFSA account was created just a week ago and already has more than 1,200 followers.

Ms. Kanter's boss, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, has been tweeting a lot longer. He had 25,391 followers at last count. Since October 2010, Mr. Duncan has held a series of Twitter Town Halls to take questions and to ask a few of his own.

"One of the great things about Twitter is that it really is two-way communication. It is not just about us pushing a static message out," said Daren Briscoe, deputy press secretary for the Education Department. "It's very much putting things out there and taking feedback from folks who are interested."