Congress needs to act to extend and expand support for people who have lost their jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Sunday. 

Cuomo, in a letter to top lawmakers in Congress, urged them to take up a package of measures meant to, at the least, extend pandemic-related unemployment programs that are set to expire at the end of the year.

"The pandemic has not just impacted Americans' health, it has also created an unprecedented economic crisis. As we enter the holiday season, and as states once again enact stronger measures to stop COVID, critical federal unemployment benefits are about to expire. Inaction from Washington is putting millions of Americans' financial security at risk," Cuomo said. 

"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."

The money Cuomo is calling for includes supplemental benefits for individuals, as well as support for state and local governments. The call comes as new COVID-19 cases are rising across the country and in New York, leading to fears of a "double dip" recession as more restrictions are put in place to limit the spread of the virus. 

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 in October was 9.6%, barely budging from September's 9.7% rate. 

The state has paid out $55 billion in unemployment benefits to 3.8 million New Yorkers since the start of the pandemic. 

It's not clear when or if Congress will act in a lameduck session. Another COVID-19-related stimulus measure has stalled since the spring, and Cuomo has called for direct aid to states that have lost billions of dollars in revenue. For now, those calls have been rebuffed by Republicans in the U.S. Senate.