Nathan Benefield

Nathan Benefield

Chief Policy Officer

Nathan (Nate) Benefield is the Chief Policy Officer at the Commonwealth Foundation.

An Ohio native, Nate holds an undergraduate degree in political science and economics and a master’s degree in public service management from DePaul University in Chicago. He also completed his doctoral studies (ABD) in political science at Loyola University, also in Chicago.

Nate joined the Commonwealth Foundation in 2005. Now as Chief Policy Officer , he provides strategic leadership as well as operational oversight spanning policy analysis, government relations, marketing, and communications.

Nate has researched and written extensively on public policy issues including the state budget, public sector labor reform, government spending and taxes, liquor privatization, education, and economic development. Under Nate’s policy leadership, the Commonwealth Foundation’s work on public sector pension law helped drive the bipartisan pension reform of 2017, heralded by the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post as an example for other states to follow.

Nate has testified numerous times before state legislative committees and is often called upon by legislators and members of the media to provide expertise. He is a frequent commentator on both television and radio, and his writings have appeared across the state and nationally in outlets including the Philadelphia Inquirer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Patriot-News, and Weekly Standard.

Nate’s favorite rock song and personal motto are both “Don’t Stop Believin.”

Government Accountability

Scare Tactics in the Budget

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 22, 2009

John Baer writes – albeit a bit late – on how politicians use scare tactics, i.e. the “Washington Monument Ploy” to…

Media

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Health Care

Not-True Statements about Health Insurers

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 22, 2009

I’ve already picked on the left-wing Keystone Progress this week for absurd statements, but I got another missive from them on…

Media

Read More: Not-True Statements about Health Insurers

Health Care

When a Tax Isn’t a Tax

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 21, 2009

In a post this morning, I criticized PA Senate Republicans for their loose definition of “broad-based taxes” with an emphasis on “broad…

Media

Read More: When a Tax Isn’t a Tax

Taxes & Economy

When Did you Stop Beating Your Wife?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 21, 2009

In a vote last week, the Pennsylvania House voted to increase the marriage license fee from $3 to $28 – only the increase was to be used for “domestic…

Media

Read More: When Did you Stop Beating Your Wife?

State Budget

What the Heck is a “Broad-Based Tax”?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 21, 2009

Last week Matt Brouillette called out Senate Republicans for moving toward a budget deal with higher taxes, backing off their line in the…

Media

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Government Accountability

Blog Roundup

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 21, 2009

The Commonwealth Foundation has made it around the blogs this weekend; here are some recent citations: Tony Phyrillas, PA Water Cooler, and Pennsylvania Guardian give us some…

Media

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State Budget

Taxes and Revenue in Pennsylvania Budget Deal

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 19, 2009

Gov. Rendell and legislative leaders from three caucuses (House Republicans were not involved) announced a deal on the Pennsylvania state budget.  Via PLS and Capitolwire (subscription), here…

Media

Read More: Taxes and Revenue in Pennsylvania Budget Deal

Health Care

Evaluating the Baucus Health Care Proposal

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 18, 2009

The latest “leading” national health care reform proposal is a bill Sen. Baucus (already being panned by the left for getting rid of the “public option” and replacing it with…

Media

Read More: Evaluating the Baucus Health Care Proposal

Regulation

PA Senate Votes to Raise Taxes Now and In the Future

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 17, 2009

The Pennsylvania Senate this afternoon gave their approval to the municipal pension “reform” bill, even after the House stripped out almost all of the weak reforms. The legislation was…

Media

Read More: PA Senate Votes to Raise Taxes Now and In the Future

Taxes & Economy

Stimulus Didn’t Stimulate

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 17, 2009

Interesting piece in the Wall Street Journal by three economists on the effects of the federal “stimulus” to date.  The authors find, not suprisingly, that the stimulus has not…

Media

Read More: Stimulus Didn’t Stimulate

State Budget

ACORN Got $200,000 from PA Taxpayers

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 17, 2009

Given all the recent scandals surrounding ACORN, the vote to defund them in the US Senate, and the Census severing ties with ACORN, it raises an interesting…

Media

Read More: ACORN Got $200,000 from PA Taxpayers

Public Union Democracy

Is “Card Check” Racist?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 16, 2009

A new study on the Employee Free Choice Act finds that the ill-named legislation would deliberately harm minorities (HT: The Union Label) This proposal would likely expand labor hierarchy, labor market…

Media

Read More: Is “Card Check” Racist?

State Budget

Braveheart and the PA State Budget

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 16, 2009

I’ve compared Pennsylvania policy-making to Braveheart before, but the move from a public conference committee to secret,…

Media

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Health Care

Ten More “You Lie” Opportunities

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 16, 2009

John Hawkins has a list of 10 more lies, mistruths, or inaccurate claims put out by President Obama on health care: The President is working with Republicans. Republicans haven’t…

Media

Read More: Ten More “You Lie” Opportunities

Taxes & Economy

Are Tea Party Protesters Nut Jobs?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 16, 2009

Reason TV interviews a number of attendees of the 9/12 Tea Party in DC in a new video asking whether they are “small group of radical freakazoids or a…

Media

Read More: Are Tea Party Protesters Nut Jobs?

Education

State-Run Preschool Doesn’t Make the Grade

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 15, 2009

Cato has a new policy report, as well as a recent blog post which sums up the arguments, on why large-scale government preschool programs are not what…

Media

Read More: State-Run Preschool Doesn’t Make the Grade

State Budget

Bad Budget for Business

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 15, 2009

Lowman Henry calls out the PA Senate GOP for its budget deal, from many of the same reasons we did – it…

Media

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Regulation

If You Don’t Like Pork, Don’t Vote for It

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 14, 2009

State Rep. James Casorio issued a news release today criticizing a taxpayer-funded loan to what he terms a “puppy mill”. The loan came from the Renewable Energy Program of…

Media

Read More: If You Don’t Like Pork, Don’t Vote for It

Taxes & Economy

Saving is Good for the Economy

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 14, 2009

The Freeman, the monthly publication of the Foundation for Economic Education, has a good article on the ridiculous economic argument that savings is bad for the economy.  This…

Media

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Regulation

Constitutionality of PA Dog Law Upheld

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 14, 2009

A federal court ruled last week that Pennsylvania’s new “dog law”, enacted last year does not violated Constitutional protections against unwarranted search and seizure: U.S. District Judge Sylvia…

Media

Read More: Constitutionality of PA Dog Law Upheld

Government Accountability

Recaps of 9/12 March on DC

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 13, 2009

Here is some coverage of 9/12 protest in Washington DC from Pennsylvania (and some national) bloggers and attendeed: PA WaterCooler has a photo essay from John Lewandowski, who went…

Media

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