Isn't the one trillion deficit each year since 2009 because they added the stimulus to the budget as a yearly expenditure? My understanding was since 2008, the budget has increased 25% mainly caused by the stimulus that was included annually by way of the Continuing Resolution instead of an annual budget.
You are correct.
While we were all led to believe that Porkulus was supposed to be a one-time-only expenditure, the Democrats took steps to build it into the departmental budgets. Accordingly, the stimulus became part of the Current Services Baseline.
Harry Reid knew exactly what he was doing. When they passed Obamacare, the Democrat leadership knew they were going to lose the House in 2010 -- and they developed a plan to short-circuit the House's Constitutional authority over appropriations. The method:
1. Build Porkulus into the departmental budgets
2. Then resist any attempt to pass a Congressional budget.
3. Presto! Expenditures were now controlled by the Current Services Baseline -- the only Congressional action required being the passage of a Continuing Resolution (which cannot effectively impact exactly what spending is taking place -- only the total amount).