Nathan Benefield
Senior Vice President
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 senior vice president, 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.”
Education
Voters Support Education Reform
Pennsylvania parents and voters want education reform. A new poll from StudentsFirst shows that Pennsylvania families strongly support educational reforms, including incentives for high performing teachers (74 percent support),…
Media
Read More: Voters Support Education ReformTaxes & Economy
Unions, Democrats Link Transportation to Philly Schools Funding
For months, state capitol pundits have complained about a “linkage” between votes on transportation funding and liquor store privatization. Indeed, government unions lobbied with taxpayer resources to try to…
Media
Read More: Unions, Democrats Link Transportation to Philly Schools FundingRegulation
We Just Lowered the Debt Ceiling
Yesterday, House and Senate leaders came together to negotiate a deal—that passed with bipartisan support in both chambers—to reduce our debt ceiling. If that sounds unbelievable, I should…
Media
Read More: We Just Lowered the Debt CeilingEducation
Unions’ Taxpayer-Subsidized Politics
How would you feel if you were forced to pay for a political cause that worked against your own beliefs and values? Outraged? Victimized? Just plain angry? Many Pennsylvania teachers,…
Commentary
Read More: Unions’ Taxpayer-Subsidized PoliticsRegulation
PA Can’t Afford to Dither on Meaningful Pension Reform
Is your family ready to pay nearly $900 more in property taxes and state taxes per year? Are you prepared to see 33,000 public school teachers in Pennsylvania — nearly…
Commentary
Read More: PA Can’t Afford to Dither on Meaningful Pension ReformRegulation
Getting Rich off the Government Liquor Monopoly
Joe Conti, who once cosponsored legislation to privatize the state liquor store system, keeps finding a way to profit off of the state’s monopoly on wine and spirit sales.
Media
Read More: Getting Rich off the Government Liquor MonopolyRegulation
Lawmakers Must Act on Pension Crisis
Today, Rep. Glen Grell unveiled a state pension reform proposal. We applaud Rep. Grell’s efforts to address the impending pension crisis. Absent reform, pension contributions will continue to soar,…
Media
Read More: Lawmakers Must Act on Pension CrisisEducation
How Unions Use Students as Bargaining Chips
When government unions engage in labor disputes, they use their power and monopoly to remind the public of the value of their service. However, schoolchildren should never have to bear…
Commentary
Read More: How Unions Use Students as Bargaining ChipsHealth Care
Healthy PA Can’t Cure Obamacare Disease
Gov. Corbett today unveiled a “Healthy PA” plan, calling for reforms to Medicaid while also accepting federal “Medicaid expansion” funds to buy insurance for 500,000 or more individuals on the…
Media
Read More: Healthy PA Can’t Cure Obamacare DiseaseRegulation
The Perplexing Problem with Pensions
Traditional pensions are plagued by their dependence on guesswork—estimates on economic growth, employee behavior, and investment return—writes Grove City economist Mark Hendrickson in a recent piece. The errors in…
Media
Read More: The Perplexing Problem with PensionsPublic Union Democracy
“Money in Politics” Fosters Big Government
You probably hear a lot about “money in politics,” but rarely do pundits correctly identify the largest source of special interest political spending. According to a new report, big labor…
Media
Read More: “Money in Politics” Fosters Big GovernmentHealth Care
Want to Help the Poor? Don’t Expand Medicaid
Yesterday, we talked about why Michigan’s plan to expand Medicaid was a bad deal for taxpayers. But expansion is a bad deal for patients too. Advocates of expansion make…
Media
Read More: Want to Help the Poor? Don’t Expand MedicaidHealth Care
Michigan’s Medicaid Mistake
Michigan’s decision to expand Medicaid leaves Pennsylvania and four other states to decide if putting more individuals into a government program is the best way to offer “affordable health…
Media
Read More: Michigan’s Medicaid MistakeHealth Care
Free Market Benefits, Big Government Burdens Obvious in Obama, Sebelius Visits
President Obama and one of his cabinet members are making separate trips to Pennsylvania this week. Their reasons for visiting couldn’t be more different. Today, the President will speak on…
Media
Read More: Free Market Benefits, Big Government Burdens Obvious in Obama, Sebelius VisitsCriminal Justice Reform
Obama Learns from Pa. on Corrections Reform
Criminal justice policy that offers less spending, lower crime and improved outcomes for offenders—too good to be true? Actually, that is the result of recent corrections reforms in…
Media
Read More: Obama Learns from Pa. on Corrections ReformHealth Care
Medicaid Abuse Shows Downside of Expansion
New polling shows 70 percent of Pennsylvania voters think we need to address waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid before expanding the program. A perusal of the news explains…
Media
Read More: Medicaid Abuse Shows Downside of ExpansionPublic Union Democracy
Government Unions Break Cities
An article in today’s Wall Street Journal illustrates how government union leaders halted any reforms that may have prevented Detroit’s bankruptcy: A major expense for Detroit is the…
Media
Read More: Government Unions Break CitiesRegulation
Liquor Privatization Saves Lives?
A little more than one year ago, Washington state privatized its liquor stores (and liquor wholesale operations). As we’ve noted before, both sales and tax revenue increased under privatization.
Media
Read More: Liquor Privatization Saves Lives?Regulation
“Failure” Leads to Downgrade for Pennsylvania
This latest look at Pennsylvania’s fiscal house shows the urgency of pension reform and spending restraint. Fitch Ratings yesterday downgraded Pennsylvania’s bond rating. This effectively sends a sign to…
Media
Read More: “Failure” Leads to Downgrade for PennsylvaniaPublic Union Democracy
Government Unions Torpedo Agenda
The state budget deadline came and went without passage of any of the “Big Three” policy items—liquor store privatization, pension reform, or transportation tax and fee increases. It was clear…
Media
Read More: Government Unions Torpedo AgendaRegulation
Podcast: Where Does Pension Reform Stand?
On this BOX Program podcast, Representative Fred Keller (R) 85th District, joins Nathan Benefield to break down what’s been happening in the legislature on pension reform. Both the House and…
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Read More: Podcast: Where Does Pension Reform Stand?