It's yet another sign of dimming prospects for one of President Barack Obama's top domestic priorities.
Speaker John Boehner says the problem is opposition Republicans don't trust the president to enforce any law that Congress passes. He called on Obama today to restore trust.
The speaker did not mention that rank-and-file Republicans were unenthusiastic about a set of principles circulated by the leadership last week.
The principles included legal status for millions of adults who live in the country illegally.
Boehner has consistently said Congress should deal with the issue of immigration. His comments were unusually pessimistic about the prospects for legislation.