Ron Paul doesn’t want the debt ceiling raised, even if it’s accompanied by a spending cuts deal.

“I don’t believe in those kinds of deals,” Paul said on Fox News this morning. “The only budget that counts is this year.”

Paul, who did not vote for Paul Ryan’s budget, said that he gives the House Budget chairman “a lot of credit” for working on reforming entitlements, but added that it was necessary to “look at the military industrial complex” for spending cuts as well.

He also expressed optimism about the current presidential cycle, noting that the financial crisis had heightened people’s awareness of the Federal Reserve. “This country has changed dramatically in the last four years,” Paul said.