The US House has lashed out at Russia for its unwavering support for Syria, voting Thursday to stop the Pentagon from doing business with a Russian company that has armed Bashar Assad's regime, AP reported.

The overwhelming vote on an amendment to the defense spending bill came just hours after Russia vetoed a UN resolution threatening nonmilitary sanctions against Syria. The United Nations and other Western nations have been pressuring Assad to end the deadly crackdown on his people that has dragged on for 16 months.

The House later passed the defense spending bill for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. The White House has threatened to veto the legislation, criticizing the House for reneging on the spending levels that Obama and congressional Republicans agreed to last August in a deficit-cutting budget.

Incensed by the unending bloodshed in Syria, the House backed an amendment by Rep. Jim Moran, R-Va., that would bar the Pentagon from contracts, cooperative agreements and loans with Rosoboronexport, a Russian state-controlled arms export company that is providing weapons to the Syrian government. The vote was 407-5.

The Defense Department has bought 33 dual-use Mi-17 helicopters for the Afghan military from the company, including an order for 10 aircraft last week. The no-bid contract for aircraft and spare parts is worth $640 million.

The Pentagon has relied on the company because of the Afghans familiarity with Russian-made helicopters. But Russia reportedly sold $1 billion in arms to Syria last year and the Assad government bought 36 combat jets from the state-controlled firm.