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.”

Taxes & Economy

Job Losses are Never “Good News”

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 17, 2009

A number of media outlets, such as the AP, are reporting Pennsylvania’s June job losses of 3,400 with a positive spin, as in the “smallest monthly job loss…

Media

Read More: Job Losses are Never “Good News”

Education

PA School Districts Have $2.4 Billion in Reserves

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 17, 2009

New data from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (released last week) show that school districts across the state have a combined $2.4 billion in General Fund reserves as of…

Media

Read More: PA School Districts Have $2.4 Billion in Reserves

State Budget

Follow the Pennsylvania Budget Debate

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 16, 2009

The House of Representatives has begun debating the Pennsylvania state budget (HB 1416) likely to continue today and tomorrow.  For live updates, you can follow the Commonwealth Foundation…

Media

Read More: Follow the Pennsylvania Budget Debate

State Budget

Can Gov. Rendell Pay State Workers?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 16, 2009

KDKA TV has a story about how legislative staffers are being paid during the Pennsylvania budget impasse, with the angle that it is unfair to other state workers (who…

Media

Read More: Can Gov. Rendell Pay State Workers?

Regulation

Will Early Retirement Incentives Save PA Money, or Cost More?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 16, 2009

Among the proposal of Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner to help balance the state budget without a tax increase.  But Commonwealth Foundation Senior Fellow Rick Dreyfuss suggests this is…

Media

Read More: Will Early Retirement Incentives Save PA Money, or Cost More?

Government Accountability

Will Fumo Conviction Deter Public Corruption?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 15, 2009

Alex Charyna mocks Governor Rendell’s ridiculous statement that Sen. Vince Fumo (sentenced to 55 months in prison, or about 12 days for each felony conviction), should only spend…

Media

Read More: Will Fumo Conviction Deter Public Corruption?

Who is Blogging on CF

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 15, 2009

Here are some recent blogs linking to, quoting, or citing the Commonwealth Foundation in the past week: PA WaterCooler links to our post on the Auditor General’s solutions to…

Media

Read More: Who is Blogging on CF

State Budget

Pennsylvania House Democrats Budget, By the Numbers

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 15, 2009

As we have done with Gov. Rendell’s proposed budget, the Senate passed budget, and the House GOP proposed budget amendment, here is a breakdown of the proposed…

Media

Read More: Pennsylvania House Democrats Budget, By the Numbers

State Budget

PA House GOP Budget by the Numbers

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 14, 2009

The Pennsylvania House Republicans unveiled their state budget proposal Friday, to be added as an amendment if and when a budget bill is brought to the House floor. As we…

Media

Read More: PA House GOP Budget by the Numbers

State Budget

PA Budget Craziness

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 13, 2009

Alright, I’m still trying to figure out what the Pennsylvania House Democrats did to the state budget proposal today in the Appropriations Committee. But here’s the basics: They took…

Media

Read More: PA Budget Craziness

Education

Rendell Administration Continues to Lie on Education Funding

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 13, 2009

Pennsylvania Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak continues the administration’s scare tactics and ininaccurate propaganda claiming that the $27.3 billion PA House budget would force schools to increase property…

Media

Read More: Rendell Administration Continues to Lie on Education Funding

State Budget

Obituary for the Pennsylvania Income Tax Hike

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 10, 2009

Rendell’s personal income tax hike plan is dead, declared PA House Republicans yesterday.  Brad Bumsted has the obituary in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review. Despite not having…

Media

Read More: Obituary for the Pennsylvania Income Tax Hike

State Budget

Balancing the Budget: Another Rendell Lie?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 9, 2009

The Rendell administration has been saying for weeks that the budget passed by the Senate in May (SB 850) is “$1.5 billion out of balance”.   As John Micek…

Media

Read More: Balancing the Budget: Another Rendell Lie?

Health Care

Video: Health Reform and Wait Times (In Lego!)

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 9, 2009

Here is a good video comparing health care wait times in Atlanta and Boston – home to the failed Massachusetts health care reform, which serves as a model…

Media

Read More: Video: Health Reform and Wait Times (In Lego!)

State Budget

Rendell’s Actual Budget Proposal

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 8, 2009

Number crunchers around Harrisburg may remember last week, I posted a spreadsheet of the Pennsylvania state budget proposals, but had to guess at Governor Rendell’s allocation of federal stimulus…

Media

Read More: Rendell’s Actual Budget Proposal

Blogging about the Commonwealth Foundation

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 8, 2009

Here are some of the blogs who have given us some linkage on a a variety of budget-related issues over the past week. BucksRight, PA Family Institute Blog,…

Media

Read More: Blogging about the Commonwealth Foundation

State Budget

PA House Democrats Against Tax Hikes

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 8, 2009

Contrary to the Rendell administration’s claims that many Republicans will support a personal income tax increase, the opposite it likely true.  John Micek writes that there are maybe…

Media

Read More: PA House Democrats Against Tax Hikes

Taxes & Economy

Tax Code Helped Cause Financial Crisis

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 7, 2009

Budget & Tax News reports on a new study on the effect of tax policy on the financial crisis. [Author Sam] Eddins also addresses the issue of credit default…

Media

Read More: Tax Code Helped Cause Financial Crisis

State Budget

Pennsylvania Budget and Tax Updates

  • Nathan Benefield
  • July 7, 2009

Here are some brief highlights on the Pennsylvania budget: Brian O’Neill editorializes angrily on “America’s Largest Full-Time State Legislature” failing to do their job, again, and includes phone numbers.

Media

Read More: Pennsylvania Budget and Tax Updates