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
Make the bailout “investments” voluntary
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” voluntaryState Budget
Stay (Just A Little Bit Longer)
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?
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
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 goEducation
Video: Flunked Panel Discussion
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 DiscussionGovernment Accountability
More on ACORN and Voter Fraud
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 FraudRegulation
Leasing Toll Roads, Airports, and Parking
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 ParkingEducation
Video: Leaving Children Behind: Teacher Unions vs. School Choice
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 ChoicePublic Union Democracy
Talking Teacher Strikes and the Bailout
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 BailoutGovernment Accountability
Ghost voting still taking place in Pennsylvania House
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 HouseTaxes & Economy
“Deregulation” and a “Great Depression”
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
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 PennsylvaniaTaxes & Economy
Pennsylvania’s Business Tax Climate below average
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 averageState Budget
How much of a budget deficit is Pennsylvania facing?
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
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 CreditTaxes & Economy
Bailout Passes, Stock Market Drops (and other myths debunked)
Remember how earlier today I said that those who point to the stock market as an indicator that the bailout needs to pass are being silly? The proponents of…
Media
Read More: Bailout Passes, Stock Market Drops (and other myths debunked)Taxes & Economy
Are bailout proponents con artists?
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
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 comparedTaxes & Economy
How Government Stoked the Mania
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 ManiaHealth Care
RendellCare 3.0
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 3.0Health Care
McCain is Right on Interstate Health Insurance
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