JUDY WOODRUFF:

Whether the focus is income inequality or economic mobility, both Democrats and Republicans have turned their attention more and more to the growing divide between the rich and poor in this country.

Tonight, we begin a series of conversations, called Closing the Gap, that will ask leading members of both parties how they propose to tackle the problem.

We kick things off with Democrat George Miller of Northern California, who is retiring from Congress after this year, having served 20 terms in the House of Representatives. He is co-author of a bill to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.

Congressman Miller, welcome to the NewsHour.

And let me just begin by asking, how do you see economic opportunity in the country — in this country today?