The Senate has started formal debate on the Trump administration's budget reconciliation bill after lawmakers spent 16 hours reading the entire measure aloud on the Senate floor.

A new analysis showing the legislation would be far more expensive than the House version could complicate its chances of final passage in that chamber, where fiscal hawks have said the cost must not grow.

The procedural vote was held open for more than three hours as GOP leaders worked to convince holdouts to let the package move to the floor.