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Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens will travel to Washington, D.C., next week to attend President Donald Trump's State of the Union address as the guest of U.S. Rep. John Mannion. The event is scheduled for Tuesday (February 25).
Owens, who made history last month when she was sworn in as Syracuse's first African American mayor and only the second woman to hold the position, will use the trip to advance her agenda for the city's future, according to a report from The Daily Orange. She plans to meet with additional members of Congress during her visit to the nation's capital.
Mannion, who represents New York's 22nd congressional district that includes Syracuse, has worked closely with Owens over the years. He praised her focus on stable housing, public transportation, and poverty reduction during her tenure as deputy mayor under former Mayor Ben Walsh.
"Supporting Sharon Owens is easy for me, because I know that she's never going to stop to try to make this community better in a number of different ways," Mannion told supporters at her election night watch party in November.
Owens won the November 2025 mayoral election with 73.5% of the vote, running on a platform focused on improving city housing, developing economic opportunities for underserved communities, and building upon existing initiatives like Syracuse Surge. New York State of Politics reports that President Trump's State of the Union address will take place as Congress continues to debate significant policy issues, including federal spending cuts and trade policies affecting New York communities.
The trip represents an opportunity for Owens to advocate for Syracuse's priorities at the federal level as she settles into her role as the city's 55th mayor. She officially took office in January 2026 after graduating from Syracuse University in 1985 and serving as deputy mayor.