US senate grinds to a standstill as Republicans struggle with Donald Trump’s big bill

Donald Trump (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

The Senate has come to a standstill after slogging through a tense overnight session, with Republican leaders searching for ways to secure support for Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts.

Senate majority leader John Thune spent the night searching for last-minute agreements between those in his party worried that the bill’s reductions to Medicaid will leave millions without care, and his most conservative flank, which wants steeper cuts to hold down deficits ballooning with the tax cuts.