WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday walked back President Donald Trump's claim the day before that the Environmental Protection Agency plans to cut 65% of its workforce, saying that the environmental regulator plans to cut its spending by 65%.

The president also said EPA has found "a lot of people that didn't exist" at the agency, but did not elaborate.

The president said Lee Zeldin, the E.P.A. administrator, was planning mass layoffs. Several hours later, White House officials said the president was referring to budget cuts.

Focused on reporting the president’s actions and statements, the 13 journalists that make up the press pool can sometimes blend into the background.

This week is a troubling turning point in the already-tense dynamic between the Trump White House and the press corps.

After sending members home for the night, House Republicans called them back on Tuesday and secured passage of an expansive budget resolution that includes virtually the entire Trump agenda. The final vote was 217-215,

The House passed its budget plan along party lines. But the matter is not a done deal as Republican lawmakers face a bitter fight between chambers, resistance from unified Democrats and angry constituents.

The G.O.P. bill would extend tax cuts and almost certainly make big reductions to programs serving the poor. Passing it may be hard, though.