Read the latest Ward 5 news in the
Councilmember’s weekly newsletter:
Read the latest Ward 5 news in the Councilmember’s weekly newsletter:
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LATEST WARD 5 WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
October 3, 2025
Dear Ward 5 neighbors,
Earlier this week, Congress failed to reach an agreement on funding the federal government, resulting in an indefinite shutdown. Many federal workers are furloughed, some are facing layoffs, government services are interrupted, and some federally-run museums and parks are closed (including, for example, the U.S. National Arboretum in Ward 5). The Smithsonian announced that its museums and the National Zoo will be able to remain open only until October 11.
So, what does all of this mean for DC? The answer is multi-faceted. On one hand, local government funding is separate and secure, meaning that local government agencies and services are still fully operational. We also received new, encouraging revenue estimates from the Chief Financial Officer this week. On the other hand, as neighbors in the District know, we are uniquely impacted by federal government decisions due to geographical proximity to federal institutions and parks, a significant number of residents in the federal workforce, and a lack of fully self-governing autonomy.
LATEST WARD 5 WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Federal Government Shutdown and DC
October 3, 2025
Dear Ward 5 neighbors,
Earlier this week, Congress failed to reach an agreement on funding the federal government, resulting in an indefinite shutdown. Many federal workers are furloughed, some are facing layoffs, government services are interrupted, and some federally-run museums and parks are closed (including, for example, the U.S. National Arboretum in Ward 5). The Smithsonian announced that its museums and the National Zoo will be able to remain open only until October 11.
So, what does all of this mean for DC? The answer is multi-faceted. On one hand, local government funding is separate and secure, meaning that local government agencies and services are still fully operational. We also received new, encouraging revenue estimates from the Chief Financial Officer this week. On the other hand, as neighbors in the District know, we are uniquely impacted by federal government decisions due to geographical proximity to federal institutions and parks, a significant number of residents in the federal workforce, and a lack of fully self-governing autonomy.
Progress Report: January 2023 - January 2025
Check out the latest Progress Report from Councilmember Parker! Our office has been hard at work alongside Ward 5 neighbors to build healthy communities through transformative policy, fighting for Ward 5, and making government accessible and transparent. View the full report and see more of what we achieved together here.
COUNCILMEMBER ZACHARY PARKER
Since taking office in January of 2023, Zachary has delivered for Ward 5 residents through responsive constituent services and significant budget wins. He has introduced dozens of transformative pieces of legislation, including bills to establish the District’s State Superintendent of Education’s School Support Office to improve low-performing schools, and the District Child Tax Credit which provides low-income and middle-class families fully refundable tax credits for children 17 years of age and younger.
LEGISLATION
Since taking office, Councilmember Parker has introduced more than 30 pieces of legislation, and co-introduced more than 150 additional bills. Learn about Councilmember Parker’s legislation, co-introductions, and committee assignments on the Legislation page.
COUNCILMEMBER ZACHARY PARKER
Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker is an educator and a public servant. He taught 7th-grade math in New Orleans, post-Katrina, with Teach For America, and spent nearly a decade supporting DC school administrators at Ward 5 schools like Dunbar High School and Mundo Verde PCS.
Zachary sees firsthand the human impact of a system that leaves our most vulnerable behind. He grew up watching his oldest brother struggle with a one-size-fits-all school system that did not have the resources to support him, and now sees the challenges he faces in life because of it.
And Zachary suffered alongside his middle brother through a long and exhaustive battle with a healthcare system that treated him more like a problem than a patient before he ultimately passed away at 36 from kidney failure. These shouldn’t be the experiences families have when interacting with our public institutions. Zachary has dedicated his life’s work to transforming the systems that failed his brothers and so many like them.
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Building a stronger, healthier Ward 5 every day.
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