Congress Desperately Needs a Contingency Plan

Brian Baird, a U.S. representative from Washington State, caught in the chaos on Capitol Hill that morning, had the same revelation.
And when I wrote a column pointing out that we had no plan in place to get Congress up and running quickly in a genuine emergency, he contacted me.
Baird worked in the House, and our ally John Cornyn worked in the Senate.
That commission was co-chaired by former White House Counsel Lloyd Cutler and former Senator Alan Simpson, who had encouraged its creation.
Our commission issued three reports—on the continuity of Congress, the presidency, and the Supreme Court—and we wrote articles on ensuring the continuity of elections.