Shortly after President Trump said Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin plans to cut 65 percent of the agency’s staff, the White House clarified and said Trump was referring to agency spending.

The White House told federal agencies to submit plans by March 13 for “large-scale reductions in force,” the first phase of an effort to drastically reduce the size of the US government.

The White House is directing federal agencies to prepare for large-scale layoffs, so-called reductions-in-force (RIF), according to guidance sent out by the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management on Wednesday.