As I understand it, the Treasury Department controls the HAMP program and most of the other foreclosure mitigation strategies, so it seems to me that Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA) is taking the wrong hostage. But at least he’s seeking real action:

The House will vote Thursday on a measure to strip the travel budget of President Obama’s housing secretary.

The measure is sponsored by Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.), who weeks ago called for Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan’s resignation over what he and other California members believe has been the administration’s subpar response to the housing and foreclosure crisis that has crippled the state’s housing market [...]

Donovan will meet Thursday morning with Cardoza and other members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, where he was expected to receive a verbal berating by Democrats representing districts with disproportionately high home foreclosure rates.

Cardoza’s bill is one of 24 amendments to the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill the House will consider Thursday.

Cardoza is on the House Rules Committee, so was able to get his travel budget-stripping amendment a vote.

Here’s the backstory. Cardoza, a moderate Dem, is in a district (CA-18) in the Central Valley of California with as bad a foreclosure problem as any in the country. In addition, he’s facing a somewhat difficult re-election battle against Mike Berryhill, who comes from a family of Republican politicians in the area. Berryhill’s fundraising has been terrible, as you can see, but Cardoza might be looking at the ravages of his district and feeling the hear a little. So he picks on Shaun Donovan.

But while Donovan may not be the ideal target for this ire, Cardoza is justified in his anger. He has seen the Obama Administration do almost nothing for the people in his district facing foreclosure, and a trip by the HUD Secretary to Rio de Janiero provided the opportunity to grandstand. This isn’t really about HUD’s travel budget, it’s about Administration inaction on foreclosures:

Cardoza is so angry that he is pushing legislation that would restrict the travel of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan. As Cardoza put it in a telephone interview with The Bee, his intention is for Donovan and his aides to “keep their sorry asses in Washington until they fix the problem.” They do not understand the depth of the problem, Cardoza said [...]

Cardoza also said in The Bee interview that the Obama administration is too cozy with the banks that hold most of the underwater mortgages. The officials working on the foreclosure problem came from Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Cardoza said. They have a conflict of interest and are protecting their old employers instead of looking out for the interests of homeowners.

“The lack of action on foreclosures and the president not coming to district, which he had promised to do, have me pretty fired up,” Cardoza said.

Cardoza’s travel-ban amendments have the support of Reps. Jim Costa, Doris Matsui, Mike Thompson, Lynn Woolsey, Anna Eshoo and Jerry McNerney, all of California, and Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio.

Donovan has replied with RealtyTrac statistics showing that foreclosures have declined in Merced, Modesto and Stockton, three of the hardest-hit cities in Cardoza’s district, by up to 25% year-over-year. Cardoza replied:

Cardoza finds it infuriating that the administration would cite that data, saying that the reason there are fewer foreclosures is because so many have already lost their homes. Meanwhile, he says, the 90-day delinquency rates on mortgage payments in his district have gone up.

“It’s offensive and that’s why I’m cutting their travel budget, because they don’t get it. Or if they do, it’s a charade, they’re trying to pull one over on our constituents,” Cardoza told POLITICO. “I’m just appalled. I’m just appalled.”

The Administration is on less tenable ground over foreclosures with each passing day and each horror story about the failures of HAMP. Donovan’s travel budget may be caught in the crossfire. But maybe it’ll get someone’s attention.