WASHINGTON – Members of Congress have one reason to ring in the new year: They're set to receive a $4,700 annual pay raise on Thursday.

But with the country in a recession and millions of Americans out of work, members of Congress find themselves under fire to rescind the pay hike, under which their base salaries jump from $169,300 to $174,000, roughly 2.8 percent.

Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, who has added responsibilities, will get a larger raise of about $6,100. Her salary will rise from $217,400 to nearly $223,500.

Pelosi's office declined to comment on the pay raise. But one Californian, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, said she wants nothing to do with it. Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate's Rules and Administration Committee, intends to donate her raise to charity, her spokesman Phil LaVelle said Tuesday.

When Congress begins a new session Tuesday, opponents have an idea for the very first vote: block the 2009 raise for all 535 members.

"Certainly, the timing could be a lot better. … When you look at the rest of the country, people are hoping to hang on to their jobs, much less get a salary increase or a bonus," said Steve Ellis, vice president of the watchdog group Taxpayers For Common Sense.

Other critics say Congress has done nothing to deserve a raise.

"The general public can't help but think that lawmakers are patting themselves on the back, and padding their wallets, for presiding over the worst fiscal policy blunders in recent history," said Pete Sepp, vice president for policy and communications for the National Taxpayers Union.

The issue is always sensitive for members of Congress, who have designed a way to raise their pay automatically without having to vote. They call it a cost-of-living allowance, which takes effect each year unless members vote to turn it down. This allows them to leave no evidence that could be used against incumbents in re-election campaigns.

"It's a gimmick to essentially avoid something that would be politically dicey," said Ellis. "And both parties are complicit in this system and benefit from it."

More often than not, members of Congress do not snub an opportunity to earn more money. It happened most recently in 2007, when the Democratic-led Congress decided to forgo a raise because it had not yet approved an increase in the minimum wage. In January 2008, members received an automatic increase of 2.5 percent.

Ellis said Congress would be wise to delay its 2009 raise until the recession ends or until unemployment declines. That would show that public officials are making a "shared sacrifice" during times of economic difficulty, he said.

While members of Congress will receive a big raise, 12 percent of all seniors are living at or below the poverty line, said Daniel O'Connell, chairman of the Senior Citizens League. And he said a senior receiving average Social Security benefits will get a $63 monthly increase in 2009.

The congressional pay raise is expected to cost taxpayers $2.5 million in the next year.

"This money would be much better spent helping the millions of seniors who are living below the poverty line and struggling to keep their heat on this winter," said O'Connell.

He also noted that members of Congress are accepting a salary increase after questioning the compensation of auto executives earlier this month.

"As lawmakers make a big show of forcing auto executives to accept just $1 a year in salary, they are quietly raiding the vault for their own personal gain," O'Connell said.

Although there has been no public indication that Congress intends to freeze its pay, four members of Congress from Indiana have announced that they will not accept a pay increase: Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh, Republican Reps. Mike Pence and Dan Burton,and Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth.

And in Florida, Republican Sen. Mel Martinez and Republican Reps. Gil Bilirakis and Ginny Brown Waite said they would vote to block the raise if House and Senate leaders allow a vote.

Feinstein is the only Californian to make a similar announcement so far.

Finding anyone brave enough to defend the pay hike in Washington these days is like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. When asked to comment, normally accessible members quickly go missing, are on vacation, are extremely busy with family members or can't be reached on their cell phones because they're in remote locations.

But some congressional aides, speaking privately, said they wouldn't be surprised if public pressure forces Congress to revisit the issue when members return next week.

In the meantime, Sepp called the latest pay raise "sadly not surprising" and said it's indicative of a Congress that's completely out of touch with voters.

"If 9/11, the resulting economic slowdown, and wars couldn't deter these folks from taking a pay grab, how could the current recession shame them into doing the right thing?" Sepp asked.

Call Rob Hotakainen, McClatchy Washington Bureau, (202) 383-0009.