Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a November 22 letter to top Washington lawmakers, Congress must act to extend and expand support for people who have lost their jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. He urged them to take up a package of measures meant to extend the pandemic-related unemployment programs set to expire at the end of the year. "Congress moved decisively this spring to address the economic impacts of the pandemic and should once again take action before the calendar year ends to bring badly needed support to millions of struggling Americans," Cuomo wrote. He is calling for action on supplemental benefits for individuals, as well as support for state and local governments and more. New York's unemployment rate has recovered since a double-digit percentage rate in April, but has slowed in recent weeks. The Department of Labor announced last week the state's unemployment rate hovered just under 10 percent in both September and October. The state has paid out $55 billion in unemployment benefits to 3.8 million New Yorkers since the start of the pandemic. It is not clear when or if Congress will act on any relief package before the end of the year. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.