A demand Monday by the main union representing federal employees to end the partial government shutdown exposes a central trade-off for Democrats on Capitol Hill — fighting to extend health care subsidies to millions of Americans has left more than 1 million federal workers without pay.

It’s a bit of a catch-22 for Democrats. On one hand, dropping their blockade and allowing the government to reopen would certainly help out a key constituency and one that is suffering a direct financial hit during the shutdown.

But American Federation of Government Employees members will maintain access to federal health insurance benefits during the impasse without anything like the skyrocketing premiums more than 20 million others who depend on subsidized private plans purchased on government exchanges

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