Longtime fraud risk expert Linda Miller was cautiously optimistic in an interview that aired Sunday about the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), though she emphasized that the need to stop government fraud is not political.

"I really think fraud is not a political issue. This is mom and apple pie stuff," Miller told "60 Minutes." "We all agree that bad actors should not be stealing American taxpayer dollars. But now, it's become political. People like me, and people in the law enforcement community, we see the adversary, not as Republicans or Democrats, but as foreign adversarial nation-states and organized crime rings." 

She added, "And I believe that there's opportunities for DOGE to save a lot of significant money, if they focus on the right things, if they focus on real fraud."

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However, Miller clarified that DOGE and DOGE founder Elon Musk tended to equate "fraud" with "wasteful spending," which she pointed out were two separate issues.

"You may not agree with what USAID does, you may not want to be investing American dollars in, you know, foreign fertilizer, for example — you may think that's the wrong thing to be spending money on, but that's not fraud," Miller said.

During the "60 Minutes" segment, correspondent Cecilia Vega spoke to experts like Miller, who argued that hundreds of billions of dollars in fraud were caused not solely by people falsely taking disability benefits, but also by international crime rings from hostile nations like Russia or China, through such actions as stealing government funds from disaster assistance.

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Though she said the "jury’s still out" on whether DOGE has been effective in combating fraud, Miller said she saw signs that it was addressing the right issues.

"To be honest, Elon Musk coming out and saying, ‘There is a huge amount of fraud,’ I welcome that message completely because, finally, someone is actually saying this," Miller said.

Last month, Musk and DOGE volunteer Antonio Gracias identified more than 2 million noncitizens who were issued Social Security numbers in FY2024. So far, they have found that approximately 1 million noncitizens were issued Social Security numbers in FY2025, which began in October and will end in September.

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Legislators in Suffolk County, New York, strengthened an animal cruelty law by making it a crime for convicted animal abusers to own pets.

The county legislature voted last week to establish a Class A misdemeanor for people on the county's convicted animal abuser registry found to be owning pets, according to the New York Post. The new addition to the law carries penalties of up to a year in jail or a $1,000 fine.

This expands on a law the legislature enacted in 2010 that created an animal abuse registry, which requires convicted animal abusers to add their name and contact information. The 2010 law was among the first of its kind in the U.S.

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County Executive Ed Romaine signed the expanded legislation on Wednesday after telling reporters last week that it will "protect animals," according to the NYP.

"Do not abuse animals," he said. "We will go after you, and we will prosecute you, and we will protect our animals."

The Suffolk County Police Department and district attorney’s office maintain the registry, which currently lists 30 convicted animal abusers. Offenders remain on the registry for 10 years unless they are convicted of animal abuse again, at which point the 10-year timer starts over.

While anyone convicted of animal abuse in the county was already prohibited from owning a pet, there were no penalties for violating the rule.

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"We are finally able to close this loophole and further protect our animals," said Suffolk Legislator Stephanie Bontempi, who sponsored the legislation. "In Suffolk County, we will not tolerate the abuse or neglect of animals. By closing this loophole, we will ensure that those offenders who disregard the law will face consequences."

"It’s something that shouldn’t even be an issue, but I’m glad we were able to get this legislation on the books," she added.

The expanded law was signed just days after dozens of dead cats were found inside a Long Island home, including in a freezer and a box spring. Other felines were found alive on the poorly maintained property, which had urine and feces on the floors and walls, among other things.

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Roy Gross, chief of Suffolk County's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, welcomed the new law after years of fighting for stronger penalties.

"For the first time, we actually have the power to take action against repeat offenders — before, our hands were tied," he told Newsday.