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

Make the bailout “investments” voluntary

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 12, 2008

Letter I sent to the President and my representatives in Congress: The recent bailout plan approved by Congress authorized the Dept. of the Treasury to purchase mortgages securities at above-market…

Media

Read More: Make the bailout “investments” voluntary

State Budget

Stay (Just A Little Bit Longer)

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 10, 2008

Recently, state Senators Gibson Armstrong (R, Lancaster) and Vince Fumo (D, Philadelphia) sounded the alarm that Pennsylvania will be facing a massive budget deficit by the end of the…

Commentary

Read More: Stay (Just A Little Bit Longer)

Health Care

Is choosing your health care plan dangerous?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 10, 2008

Michael Cannon’s latest commentary on health care reform is a must read: What I saw next was even scarier: The presidential debate, where Barack Obama told me how…

Media

Read More: Is choosing your health care plan dangerous?

Taxes & Economy

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac must go

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 10, 2008

Good article in the Christian Science Monitor on the need to privatize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  The Heritage Foundation blog also discusses how Fannie Mae and Freddie…

Media

Read More: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac must go

Education

Video: Flunked Panel Discussion

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 9, 2008

Video of our panel discussion following the film Flunked, co-hosted by the REACH Foundation.  Discussants include Adam Schaeffer of the Cato Institute; school choice parents…

Media

Read More: Video: Flunked Panel Discussion

Government Accountability

More on ACORN and Voter Fraud

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 9, 2008

As a followup to Jessica’s post on ACORN and Voter Fraud, here are some recent updates: The Tribune Review notes that investigations of ACORN could be coming to…

Media

Read More: More on ACORN and Voter Fraud

Regulation

Leasing Toll Roads, Airports, and Parking

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 9, 2008

There are several stories on privatization in the news lately on a number of fronts. First up is in the real value of toll roads – which should be read…

Media

Read More: Leasing Toll Roads, Airports, and Parking

Education

Video: Leaving Children Behind: Teacher Unions vs. School Choice

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 8, 2008

Video from yesterday’s Policies and Principles luncheon (co-hosted by the REACH Foundation) on school choice and the teachers’ unions is now available on our YouTube Channel. …

Media

Read More: Video: Leaving Children Behind: Teacher Unions vs. School Choice

Public Union Democracy

Talking Teacher Strikes and the Bailout

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 8, 2008

Audio from yesterday’s Pittsburgh Renaissance Radio show hosted by Matt Brouillette is available for download. For individual segments: Matt talks with Simon Campbell of Stop Teacher Strikes…

Media

Read More: Talking Teacher Strikes and the Bailout

Government Accountability

Ghost voting still taking place in Pennsylvania House

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 8, 2008

Both Grassroots PA and Capitol Ideas have made note of yesterday’s PA House vote in which Republican leader Sam Smith noted some lawmakers were “voting” while they weren’t…

Media

Read More: Ghost voting still taking place in Pennsylvania House

Taxes & Economy

“Deregulation” and a “Great Depression”

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 7, 2008

While you listen to Matt Brouillette ( to chat with Matt and listeners on TalkShoe click here) discuss the bailout and the causes of the financial “crisis”, here…

Media

Read More: “Deregulation” and a “Great Depression”

Taxes & Economy

Tax Increase Coming to Pennsylvania

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 7, 2008

State Senators Gib Armstrong and Vince Fumo are both projecting a massive budget deficit ($2.5 billion according to Fumo) and believe that the only way to pay for it is with…

Media

Read More: Tax Increase Coming to Pennsylvania

Taxes & Economy

Pennsylvania’s Business Tax Climate below average

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 7, 2008

The Tax Foundation has released its latest State Business Tax Climate Index. Pennsylvania ranks a middling 28th on the index, which takes into account five factors (listed in order…

Media

Read More: Pennsylvania’s Business Tax Climate below average

State Budget

How much of a budget deficit is Pennsylvania facing?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 6, 2008

Capitolwire.com is reporting that there is a top-secret memo from one of the four legislative caucuses estimating that Pennsylvania is facing a potential $2.5 billion budget deficit going into…

Media

Read More: How much of a budget deficit is Pennsylvania facing?

Health Care

McCain’s Health Care Tax Credit

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 5, 2008

Following Joe Biden’s claim that McCain’s health care plan will result in millions of workers being dropped from employers’ health care plans a number of free-market thinkers have rebutted. …

Media

Read More: McCain’s Health Care Tax Credit

Taxes & Economy

Are bailout proponents con artists?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 3, 2008

In addition to the rhetoric that we need a bailout now, or we will face a great depression (which has been debunked), bailout proponents are selling the idea…

Media

Read More: Are bailout proponents con artists?

Health Care

Health care in US and Canada compared

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 3, 2008

I doubt this will surprise regular readers of this blog, but Canada’s single payer health system isn’t all that Michael Moore makes it out to be. From a new…

Media

Read More: Health care in US and Canada compared

Taxes & Economy

How Government Stoked the Mania

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 3, 2008

Great read in the Wall Street Journal on How Government Stoked the Mania, starting with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and later how the Community Reinvestment Act, and the…

Media

Read More: How Government Stoked the Mania

Health Care

RendellCare 3.0

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 2, 2008

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell has revised his proposal to increase government spending and eligibility for health insurance yet again. The latest edition has lowered the cost of the program…

Media

Read More: RendellCare 3.0

Health Care

McCain is Right on Interstate Health Insurance

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 2, 2008

Merrill Matthews in the Wall Street Journal writes that John McCain’s plan to allow individuals and small businesses to buy insurance across state lines – a policy championed in…

Media

Read More: McCain is Right on Interstate Health Insurance