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Summary:
Continuity of government refers to the continued functioning of constitutional government under all circumstances. Arrangements for the continued operation of the federal government in the event of a national emergency or catastrophe are specified in law, policy, and plans, some of which are not public information, given their sensitive, contingent status. This report reviews the public record concerning federal continuity of government arrangements. It will be updated to reflect significant developments. As a condition of office, the President swears or affirms a pledge to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, which also requires members of the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the individual state legislatures, as well as all executive and judicial officers of the United States and the several states, "to support this Constitution".1 Arguably, such provisions constitute a basis for these principal government officials, in their separate capacities, to contribute to policy and planning for the continued functioning of constitutional government under all circumstances. During the latter half of the 20th century, such preparations were conducted earnestly and elaboratively, particularly with the onset of the Cold War and the increasing prospect of nuclear attack upon the nation. Arrangements for the continued operation of the federal government in the event of a national emergency are specified in law, policy, and plans, some of which are not public information, given their sensitive, contingent status.
