What is Continuity of Government?

Steve shows up prepared, Mack drops a bombshell or two, and Anne gets wasted. REFERENCES It’s when the vase of flowers is suddenly on the left-hand side of the screen: Film Draft. “What is Continuity in Film? Definitions, Types, and Examples.” August 26, 2025. https://filmdaft.com/what-is-continuity-in-film-definition-types-examples/ It really became a serious concern with the advent of the threat of nuclear war: Tegmark, Max. “Here’s How Bad a Nuclear War Would Actually Be.” June 29, 2023. Time. https://time.com/6290977/nuclear-war-impact-essay/ During the Cold War: Britannica Editors. “Cold War.” Updated February 18, 2026. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Cold-War Including Washington, D.C.: https://washington.org/ Sate, local, tribal, territorial: FEMA. “Guide to Continuity of Government [PDF].” July 2021. https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_sltt-cog-guidance_070921.pdf For Texas, it’s not a joke that we kind of rely on HEB: HEB Newsroom. “HEB Disaster Relief.” https://newsroom.heb.com/disaster-relief/ Ye olde Continental Congress: Britannica Editors. “Continental Congress.” Updated October 11, 2025. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Continental-Congress We may have to leave Philadelphia and go to Baltimore because the British are coming: United States House of Representatives. “Meeting Places for the Continental and Confederation Congresses.” https://history.house.gov/People/Continental-Congress/Meeting-Places/ Anne was just trying to be funny. It’s quite nice: https://baltimore.org/ Basically, it’s an emergency plan. You could also call it a contingency plan: This vs. That. “The Contingency Plan vs. The Emergency Plan: What’s the Difference?” https://thisvsthat.io/the-contingency-plan-vs-the-emergency-plan In the previous episode: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-n7xcc-1ad17a2 We talked about the Twenty-Fifth Amendment: Constitution Annotated. “Twenty-Fifth Amendment.” https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-25/ The presidential succession: USA.gov. “Order of Presidential Succession.” https://www.usa.gov/presidential-succession Think about royal houses of Europe: Veldman, Sarah. “A Comprehensive Guide to the Royal Families of Europe.” Updated September 20, 2025. The List. https://www.thelist.com/1524478/royal-families-of-europe-guide/ That was “Designated Survivor,” the series: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5296406/ Mack is right. They did start doing it when Reagan was president: Su, Amelia. “The Designated Survivor Explained—Why One Leader Stays Hidden.” February 24, 2026. Los Angeles Magazine. https://lamag.com/news-and-politics/the-designated-survivor-explained-why-one-leader-stays-hidden/ At the State of the Union Address, you have the president, vice president, speaker of the house, but you also have all of Congress, most of the Cabinet, and some of the Supreme Court justices, joint chiefs: Mullery, Way and Chol, Annette. “Who Sits Where at Trump’s State of the Union Address: A Visual Guide.” February 23, 2026. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/23/politics/seating-chart-state-of-the-union-vis There have been threats (note that this list is a brief summary from 2024 so it is not comprehensive and does not include the attacks on President Trump): Congress.gov. “U.S. Secret Service: Threats to and Assaults on Sitting Presidents and Vice Presidents [PDF].” Updated October 23, 2024. https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/P