Republicans and Democrats had been unable to come to an agreement about spending for 2003. The Bush administration and its allies in Congress were determined to stick to a low spending number that Progressives and Democrats in general could not accept. To circumvent this disagreement and avoid any compromise, House Republicans proposed a temporary spending bill ("continuing resolution," or CR) to fund the government at the previous year's levels. In the House, most bills come with a set of instructions for the conduct of debate, normally referred to as the "rule." If the rule does not pass, the bill is effectively rejected. Progressives opposed the Republicans' CR because they wanted to force the Republicans to compromise on their lower spending goals. As a result, Progressives also opposed the bill's rule. However, their opposition was not enough and the rule passed, 215-189.