WASHINGTON — Facing an onslaught of condemnation from New York officials over the city’s share of anti-terrorism dollars, the secretary of homeland security is firing back, saying the area receives its fair share and that cities should not expect to pocket grant funding “like a Social Security check.”

In announcing an allocation of more than $134 million to New York City, the security chief, Michael Chertoff, dismissed the cries of Mayor Bloomberg and several lawmakers that the city was shortchanged.

“New York actually is going to do very well this year compared to prior years,” Mr. Chertoff told reporters, saying that once a number of separate grant programs are added together, it will be “New York’s biggest year ever.”

The annual allocation of homeland security funding has become an increasingly bitter issue for city officials, who have long argued that New York should receive the bulk of anti-terrorism money given the city’s undisputed status as a prime — and past — target of Al Qaeda. Accusing the government of succumbing to pork-barrel politics, they have complained that a critical grant program that once distributed money only to seven cities now doles it out to dozens, spreading the pot too thin.

A year ago, after New York’s funding dropped by 40% from 2005, federal officials were receptive to the city’s concerns, revising the application process and adjusting the funding formula in favor of high-risk areas.

But with this year’s allocation showing only a modest increase of 7.7% in the key grant program, known as the Urban Area Security Initiative, and a much smaller rise in the portion of funds (18%, from 17.5%) that went to New York, city officials once again are expressing frustration.

“They changed the process this year, but the results are essentially the same,” the police commissioner, Raymond Kelly, told reporters in New York. “So it hasn’t made a difference.”

The mayor said he was “disappointed.”

“The fact remains that when you catch somebody who is a potential terrorist, they’ve got a map or a picture of New York or one of two or three other cities, and that’s where the preponderance of money should go,” Mr. Bloomberg said.

To Mr. Chertoff, the complaints amount to what he called a “philosophical difference.” He defended the current system, which gives 55% of a total $746 million for urban areas to seven “tier one” cities and the remaining 45% to 39 “tier two” cities. He said that if a substantially larger percentage were given only to the major cities, “we would basically have to zero out the tier two cities.”

“I happen to think that is not the right answer,” Mr. Chertoff said, pointing out that attacks have occurred not only in New York and Washington, but also in Oklahoma City and Atlanta, which fall into the second category.

The secretary also rejected the complaints of officials who wanted a larger increase in the city’s funding from previous years. “These grants are meant to be investments in capital. They are meant to build capabilities,” Mr. Chertoff said. “They are not meant to be annuities or entitlements where you get the same amount every year like a Social Security check.”

Mr. Chertoff challenged his critics to find a better way to distribute anti-terror funds and to convince Congress to approve it. “At the end of the day, if the public believes that philosophically we ought to take a different position, we ought to have that debate,” he said. “There are pluses and minuses. There are trade-offs. We think we have struck the balance right, tipped in the right way. And if those in Congress disagree then, of course, Congress is free to take the action it wants to take.”

City officials have railed against the grant program for providing money that localities facing a lesser terrorism threat have instead used to protect bingo halls and mushroom festivals. Mr. Chertoff insisted that this would not be the case this year. “These are not petting zoos, popcorn factories, or ice cream parlors,” he said. “What this is, is about is 2,000 of the most important infrastructure in this entire country.”

At least one New York lawmaker wasn’t buying it. “These cities and states that are getting money they don’t need are wasting it,” a Democrat who represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens, Rep. Anthony Weiner, said.

He criticized the secretary for putting the onus on Congress, saying lawmakers intended for the grants to be distributed based on risk. “The first mistake he makes is that he blames someone else,” Mr. Weiner said. He added: “He shows that he doesn’t quite get it.”

Expecting questions about New York’s share of the funding, Mr. Chertoff arrived at his Washington press conference armed with a series of charts showing that the region dominated the total $1.7 billion grant allocation.

New York City received an additional $34.8 million for emergency responder communications, and when combined with nearby Jersey City and Newark, the metropolitan area secured more than 25% of the funding.