WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, is expected to give her farewell floor speech this afternoon in the Senate chamber.

Snowe is retiring in less than a month after 34 years in Congress, including 18 in the Senate. A well-known and influential moderate, Snowe has said the hyper-partisan atmosphere in Washington led her to drop her re-election bid earlier this year.

Additional Photos

FILE- In this March 2, 2012, file photo U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe speaks at news conference in South Portland, Maine. Snowe, who has cited Washington's partisan atmosphere as the reason she is stepping down this year, has a deal with Weinstein Books for a publication due out in the spring. Weinstein is billing the book, currently untitled, as a "memoir and call to action." (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, files)
FILE- In this March 2, 2012, file photo U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe speaks at news conference in South Portland, Maine. Snowe, who has cited Washington's partisan atmosphere as the reason she is stepping down this year, has a deal with Weinstein Books for a publication due out in the spring. Weinstein is billing the book, currently untitled, as a "memoir and call to action." (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, files) AP

Snowe’s office said the senator is expected to speak around 1 p.m. Senate proceedings are typically broadcast live on C-SPAN2 and can be seen online on C-SPAN2 and by the live web feed on the Senate’s website.

Departing senators have been delivering speeches all week, often with friends and family in the audience. While some senators have stuck to simple farewells, others have been sharply critical of Congress and the gridlock in Washington.

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