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.”
State Budget
Pennsylvania Budget Proposals – Revised Spreadsheet Now Online
The Rendell administration has released a new version of his Pennsylvania state budget proposal, unfortunately this is only available in a PDF document, and does not include the allocation…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania Budget Proposals – Revised Spreadsheet Now Online
Pennsylvania House Passes Silly Bills
We are now three days in to the fiscal year without a state budget, yet the Pennsylvania House Democrats still refuse to bring any spending or revenue legislation up for…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania House Passes Silly Bills
Who is Blogging about the Commonwealth Foundation
A new, hopefully regular, feature on Policy Blog will be a roundup of Commonwealth Foundation citations in the Pennsylvania blogosphere. Here are some blog posts from the past week:…
Media
Read More: Who is Blogging about the Commonwealth FoundationGovernment Accountability
PA General Assembly Costs $50,000 Per Day for One Hour Sessions
ABC 27 News has a story on the high cost of the General Assembly – $50,000 per day – to have sessions during the budget impasse. This is very…
Media
Read More: PA General Assembly Costs $50,000 Per Day for One Hour SessionsTaxes & Economy
Upcoming Pennsylvania Tea Parties
The are a number of upcoming “Tea Parties” in Pennsylvania coming up in the near future, many on or around July 4. Here are some listings to find the event…
Media
Read More: Upcoming Pennsylvania Tea PartiesState Budget
Is Rendell Lying About State Police Layoffs?
Gov. Rendell has been quoted on numerous occasions claiming the budget passed by the Pennsylvania Senate last month would result in the layoff of 800 state police. We pointed out…
Media
Read More: Is Rendell Lying About State Police Layoffs?Health Care
Response to ObamaCare Infomercial
The Cato Institute has a video, point-by-point response to Obama’s informercial on his health care reform plan.
Media
Read More: Response to ObamaCare InfomercialTaxes & Economy
The Real Effect of Rendell’s Taxes on Small Business
While Gov. Rendell continues his propaganda campaign for higher taxes (see WGAL for a related news story on the thousands Rendell has spent in taxpayer funds lobbying for more…
Media
Read More: The Real Effect of Rendell’s Taxes on Small BusinessEducation
More Dollars is Not Producing More Scholars
A new report from the Math Science Partnership of Greater Philadelphia on Pennsylvania school performance (specifically the 11th grade PSSAs) across school districts finds that: Demographic factors (residents with…
Media
Read More: More Dollars is Not Producing More ScholarsRegulation
Has Gambling Reduced Property Taxes?
In a press conference last week, Gov. Rendell patted himself on the back for all the property tax relief he has provided via gambling. But John Delano of KDKA-TV in…
Media
Read More: Has Gambling Reduced Property Taxes?Health Care
Residents: RomneyCare a Failure
Rasmussen polling finds that only 26% of Massachusetts residents think the health care reform in that state was a “success”, compared with 37% calling in a failure. The…
Media
Read More: Residents: RomneyCare a FailureState Budget
Will Pennsylvania Budget Lead to Dogs and Cats Living Together?
After weeks of new releases, press conferences, and taxpayer-funded bus tours about the horrors that will ensue if the Pennsylvania state budget is $27.3 billion instead of…
Media
Read More: Will Pennsylvania Budget Lead to Dogs and Cats Living Together?Taxes & Economy
Cap and Trade Will Squeeze State Budgets, Raise Energy Prices, and Cost Jobs
The Heritage Foundation has a number of new facts on the impact of Cap and Trade, which the US House is supposed to vote on today. Under Cap and…
Media
Read More: Cap and Trade Will Squeeze State Budgets, Raise Energy Prices, and Cost JobsState Budget
Rebutting Rendell’s Rhetoric
Rendell’s propaganda campaign continues today, with another press conference (his sixty-first, in support of legislation that does not yet exist) with tax eaters asking for more tax dollars. Rendell latest…
Media
Read More: Rebutting Rendell’s RhetoricTaxes & Economy
Taxpayers Guide to the Stimulus
Reason Foundation put a new “Taxpayers Guide to the Stimulus” last week that is informative, and an easy-to-digest guide to where all the stimulus money is going. They also…
Media
Read More: Taxpayers Guide to the StimulusHealth Care
Helping the Uninsured
I had a brief debate via Twitter (I guess it is impossible to have anything but a brief debate on Twitter) with a staffer for the Pennsylvania House…
Media
Read More: Helping the UninsuredHealth Care
Free Market Alternatives to the ObamaCare Informercial
If you are looking for some alternative programming to the Obamacare propaganda scheduled to air tonight, or just want a different point of view (which ABC has refused to…
Media
Read More: Free Market Alternatives to the ObamaCare InformercialState Budget
Tax Everyone But the Guy Behind the Tree
Gov. Rendell’s hypocrisy on tax policy is on full display this budget season. While Rendell is demanding higher taxes on individuals and most businesses, he is also working to preserve…
Commentary
Read More: Tax Everyone But the Guy Behind the TreeHealth Care
Democrats’ Health Care Plan: Tax the Middle Class, Loophole for Unions
We mentioned last week that a tax on employer-provided health care benefits would likely be part of ObamaCare. This despite the fact that Obama’s campaign criticized McCain for proposing…
Media
Read More: Democrats’ Health Care Plan: Tax the Middle Class, Loophole for UnionsState Budget
Why Don’t Men Like to Wear Condoms?
No, we haven’t been spammed. But if the question of ‘Why men don’t like to wear condoms?’ doesn’t seem an apt topic for PolicyBlog, does it seem an appropriate subject…
Media
Read More: Why Don’t Men Like to Wear Condoms?State Budget
Lawmakers Working Hard on the PA Budget?
If fundraising for the next campaign is considered working out the details of the state budget, Pennsylvania lawmakers are hard at it. John Micek points out no fewer than…
Media
Read More: Lawmakers Working Hard on the PA Budget?