Staff

State Budget

Gov. Wolf’s Budget Plan & Working Families

• Elizabeth Stelle
• February 23, 2021

Chairman Causer and members of the House Majority Policy Committee, thank you for inviting the Commonwealth Foundation to testify on the impact of Governor Wolf’s budget proposal. My name is…

Testimony

Op-Ed: Pennsylvania Doesn’t Have a Friend in Tom Wolf

• Nathan Benefield
• February 22, 2021

As Pennsylvanians suffer under Wolf’s leadership, they will have a chance to force the governor to work with the legislature. This May, voters will get a say on a state…

Commentary

Op-Ed: “The Tom Wolf Show” – He pretends to help students while selling them out

• Marc LeBlond
• February 18, 2021

Wolf’s crusade against school choice and charter schools is based on a big lie: that if only “the system” had more money, then the neediest kids would get the education…

Commentary

Op-Ed: Should Pa. increase education funding by raising taxes?

• Jennifer Stefano
• February 15, 2021

Gov. Tom Wolf’s 2021 budget proposal put education at its center, featuring an extra $1.5 billion for public schools paid for by raising personal income taxes. While officials say the…

Commentary

Op-Ed: PA Suburbs Signal a National ‘Eds-and-Meds’ Realignment

• Charles F. McElwee
• February 14, 2021

A booming “eds-and-meds” economy is fueling Wyomissing’s gradual political shift. The Knitting Mills complex, for example, houses the corporate offices of Tower Health, which oversees its flagship, Reading Hospital, but…

Commentary

Op-Ed: Pennsylvania Voters Fight Back Against Power-Hungry Governor Abusing Emergency Powers

• Charles Mitchell
• February 11, 2021

Following the disastrous shutdowns in states like New York and New Jersey, lawmakers may want to emulate Pennsylvania’s constitutional remedy.

Commentary

Op-Ed: Wolf’s budget hits Philly while it’s still down

• Tirzah Duren
• February 9, 2021

Among the myriad issues currently affecting small businesses in Philadelphia, Gov. Wolf’s proposed tax increases shouldn’t be one of them.

Commentary

Content

• February 9, 2021

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Media

Content

• February 9, 2021

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Media

Op-Ed: Ignore Wolf’s small business tax hike. Pass a budget that cares for kids and communities

• Nathan Benefield
• February 9, 2021

From small businesses to education, the General Assembly should enact policies that challenge Wolf’s harmful ideas. His policy agenda would leave a legacy of more government spending, higher unemployment, and…

Commentary

Op-Ed: Pennsylvania parents challenge teachers unions in fight for children’s education

• Kevin Mooney
• February 5, 2021

Marc LeBlond, a senior policy analyst at the Commonwealth Foundation, a free market think tank based in Harrisburg, sees an opening for parents to advance school choice initiatives.

Commentary

Pa. Emergency Powers Amendment Going to People

• Michael Torres
• February 5, 2021

Feb. 4, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa.,— On March 6, 2020, Gov. Tom Wolf proclaimed a disaster emergency in Pennsylvania, granting himself the extraordinary power to supersede many state laws to…

Press Release

Education

Op-Ed: Pandemic Demonstrates the Value of Catholic Education

• Colleen Hroncich
• February 5, 2021

It’s tough to compete with “free” – even if your product is in high demand. That’s a lesson Catholic schools know well. In the past year, this point has been…

Commentary

State Budget

Wolf’s Big, Bad Budget Leaves Families Behind

• Michael Torres
• February 3, 2021

Feb. 3, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. —Following Gov. Tom Wolf’s pre-recorded state budget address, Commonwealth Foundation Vice President Nathan Benefield, who has been studying the state budget for more than a…

Press Release

State Budget

Three Takeaways on Gov. Wolf’s 2021 Budget

• Nathan Benefield
• February 3, 2021

Our commonwealth faces a structural budget deficit. Families need education lifelines to get back on track. Small businesses need regulatory and tax relief to stay afloat. Patients need more options to access care.

Commentary

Op-Ed: The dangerous legacy of emergencies like Covid-19

• Elizabeth Stelle
• February 2, 2021

Recent crises show that trading liberty for security risks a permanent loss of freedom.

Commentary

Op-Ed: Checks and balances needed even during crises

• Stephen Bloom
• February 1, 2021

Here in Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf has too often imposed drastic restrictions without public accountability and transparency. As it stands, the commonwealth ranks among the nation’s most restrictive states —…

Commentary

Op-Ed: Pennsylvania students are suffering from the state’s ‘epic fail’ on pandemic schooling

• Kevin Mooney
• January 26, 2021

For now, many Pennsylvania school districts have settled on a “hybrid” approach wherein students attend school for two days but then learn remotely for the other three days. In households…

Commentary

Op-Ed: Pennsylvania Will Reflect Voter Mood During Biden Presidency

• Nathan Benefield
• January 25, 2021

In other words, suburban voters favor moderation – as the election results showed. But despite his campaign persona, Biden may already be inching closer to leftist economic policies. As Axios…

Commentary

New Report: Rebuilding Pennsylvania’s Economy

• Michael Torres
• January 22, 2021

Jan. 25, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. — A new Commonwealth Foundation report proposes a series of public policies aimed at helping Pennsylvania recover from the COVID-19 economic downturn. The Race…

Press Release

Caring for Kids and Communities: The 2021 State Budget

• Elizabeth Stelle
• January 22, 2021

A successful recovery is not dependent on government aid; it requires education lifelines for families, regulatory and tax relief for small businesses, and health care reforms to bolster patient access…

Backgrounder