Nathan Benefield
Chief Policy Officer
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”
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
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 ReservesState Budget
Follow the Pennsylvania Budget Debate
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 DebateState Budget
Can Gov. Rendell Pay State Workers?
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?
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?
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
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 CFState Budget
Pennsylvania House Democrats Budget, By the Numbers
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 NumbersState Budget
PA House GOP Budget by the Numbers
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 NumbersState Budget
PA Budget Craziness
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 CrazinessEducation
Rendell Administration Continues to Lie on Education Funding
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 FundingState Budget
Gov. Rendell: “State Workers Should Put a Statue of Me on Their Mantles”
In each of the past seven years, under the leadership of Gov. Rendell, Pennsylvania has failed to pass a state budget by the start of the fiscal year (July 1),…
Media
Read More: Gov. Rendell: “State Workers Should Put a Statue of Me on Their Mantles”State Budget
Obituary for the Pennsylvania Income Tax Hike
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 HikeState Budget
PA Auditor General Offers Ways to Balance Budget – Without Tax Hike
Add one more Democrat to the list of those who don’t think we should raise the state income tax – Auditor General Jack Wagner has release a series of…
Media
Read More: PA Auditor General Offers Ways to Balance Budget – Without Tax HikeState Budget
Balancing the Budget: Another Rendell Lie?
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!)
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
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
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 FoundationState Budget
PA House Democrats Against Tax Hikes
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 HikesTaxes & Economy
Tax Code Helped Cause Financial Crisis
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 CrisisState Budget
Pennsylvania Budget and Tax Updates
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