HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – Hundreds of business and community leaders from across the Tennessee Valley gathered at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville Monday morning, for a breakfast meeting with US Senator Richard Shelby.

The visit, hosted by the Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce, is the latest stop on Shelby’s statewide tour.

For this event, he gave the crowd an update on what’s happening in Washington and the potential impact here at home.

Despite sequestration, the senior senator from Alabama said he thinks the Republican majority in Congress will be able to increase military spending.

Shelby, who serves on the defense appropriations subcommittee, added, “I believe Huntsville is going to be fine. You’re on the cutting edge of technology that funds so many things that are important to our military and national security.”

As far as funding for NASA and Marshall Space Flight Center, Shelby said, “I believe at the end of the day that Marshall, which plays a real important role in NASA, will be funded well, just like it was last year.”

However, the Republican acknowledged it won’t all be smooth sailing with the budget.

The Senate’s version of the spending plan, approved last week, outlines a path to repeal the President’s health care act.

While that sets up a sure showdown with the White House, Shelby says, “I thought all along we had the best healthcare system in the world and I think Obamacare is chipping away and is going to destroy it over time, and I have the fundamental right to fight it and I’m going to continue to do that.”