In a bid to avoid a government shutdown and overhaul the civil service, newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has unveiled his plan to keep agencies open and implement significant changes. Despite his history of engaging in shutdown politics, Johnson is now focused on ensuring the government remains operational while pushing for reforms in the federal workforce.

Following weeks of turmoil, House Republicans elected Johnson as the new speaker, replacing Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. Johnson, although relatively unknown before his nomination, gained attention for leading congressional efforts to decertify several states' 2020 election results at the Supreme Court.

As part of his strategy to prevent a shutdown, Johnson proposed supporting a continuing resolution until either January 15 or April 15, while the House continues to vote on its full-year fiscal 2024 appropriations measures. These bills have been receiving approval along party lines and include spending caps below the levels previously agreed upon between House Republicans and President Biden during negotiations to raise the debt ceiling.

While Johnson voted for the debt ceiling agreement, he urged his colleagues to continue approving the smaller spending bills in order to initiate negotiations with the Senate and the White House. In line with this, he wasted no time in considering the fiscal 2024 Energy Department appropriations bill after acquiring the speakership.

Interestingly, just a few weeks ago, Johnson voted against the stopgap bill that is currently keeping agencies afloat until November 17. In his previous statements, he expressed his desire to end the "weaponization" of federal agencies and emphasized the need to reform the civil service.

Since joining Congress in 2017, Johnson has proposed several measures to bring about significant changes in the federal workforce. He aimed to end expanded remote work, which was utilized by agencies during the pandemic, citing poor customer service as a primary concern. As the leader of the Republican Study Committee, he advocated for the passage of the Modern Employment Reform, Improvement, and Transformation (MERIT) Act. This act aims to streamline the process of firing federal employees for poor performance or misconduct and includes provisions to reduce defined benefits, rescind bonuses, and extend the probationary period for new hires.

Furthermore, Johnson led efforts to challenge President Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for executive branch employees and contractors. He filed a support letter in federal court that eventually led to the overturning of the requirement.

In the immediate term, as Congress faces an imminent shutdown, Johnson is striving to complete the funding process by passing all 12 annual appropriations bills before the November 17 deadline. However, he acknowledged that more time will be needed and expressed his support for a short-term stopgap bill to keep agencies funded at current levels until at least mid-January. This approach aims to prevent a last-minute "Christmas omnibus" from the Senate. The alternative option of extending the funding until April has also been raised, but it poses the risk of triggering sequestration due to the debt limit provision.

In the Senate, lawmakers are currently considering their own package of appropriations bills, which have bipartisan support and adhere to the spending caps outlined in the Fiscal Responsibility Act. However, Johnson has not yet outlined a plan for the White House's proposed $106 billion in supplemental funding for various purposes.

Overall, Speaker Mike Johnson's plan aims to maintain government operations while pursuing reforms in the civil service. As the deadline looms, Congress will have to navigate the delicate balance between funding the government and initiating meaningful changes in the federal workforce.