Although the Ukrainian ambassador and defense attaché were the ones officially inviting D.C. bigwigs to a reception "on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the armed forces of Ukraine," the invitation stated that the event was "sponsored by" four U.S. defense contractors — Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Pratt & Whitney, and Lockheed Martin — whose logos collectively occupied more space on the card than the official Ukrainian emblems.

It's easy to see why these companies would be thrilled with Ukraine's armed forces right now: Those forces need weapons, and they're getting most of them from American defense contractors, courtesy of U.S. taxpayers.

President Joe Biden, who has said his administration will support Ukraine for "as long as it takes" to beat back the Russians, has already convinced Congress to send Kyiv $68 billion, and is asking for another $38 billion.

Meanwhile, he has also sent Ukraine $19.3 billion worth of direct military assistance, much of it in the form of supposedly excess weapons. Biden claims the power to do this under "presidential drawdown authority," which allows the chief executive — under "emergency" conditions — to transfer unneeded weapons, then replenish the stocks at taxpayer expense.