Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, has been trying for five years — and failing each and every year — to eliminate the automatic pay increase for members of Congress.

But now it appears Matheson has some most unlikely allies in his quixotic quest — 96 members of the U.S. Senate.

"At a time when we're asking for spending cuts across the federal government to help offset the cost of Hurricane Katrina, it's important for the Senate to lead by example, even if the impact is mostly symbolic," said Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., whose amendment to the 2006 Transportation, Treasury and Housing appropriations bill was adopted this past week in a 96-2 vote.

The House and Senate must still reconcile differences in the appropriations bill, including the 1.6 percent pay raise passed by the House but removed by the Senate.

Matheson did not waste time in petitioning House leaders to support the Senate amendment.

"We have an opportunity to reduce federal spending by forgoing this unnecessary raise," Matheson wrote to Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, and Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., the ranking Democrat on the committee.

"It would send a strong signal to the American people that Congress is serious about attacking our mounting federal deficit," he added. "As the people's representatives, we know that many sacrifices and tough decisions regarding funding levels for federal priorities will have to be made. We should also be willing to personally make sacrifices."

Matheson has tried for five years to offer an amendment on the House floor that would force an up or down vote on the pay raise. He has argued that, "During a time of war, shared sacrifices are called for and that forgoing a salary increase would send a signal to the American people that Congress gets it."

Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Bob Bennett, R-Utah, both voted with Kyl to reject the pay raise.

The 535 members of the House and Senate currently earn $162,100 a year, although leaders can earn about 25 percent more than that.

By rejecting the pay raise, Congress would save about $2 million — a symbolic amount compared to the estimated $200 billion that will be spent on Hurricane Katrina relief and rebuilding. Kyl said Congress hopes to find at least $50 billion in savings to offset Katrina-related spending.

Conservatives in Congress have been pushing hard to cut domestic spending, including reducing spending increases in Medicare and Medicaid, the federal health care programs for the elderly and poor.

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E-mail: spang@desnews.com