In this talk I discuss the interaction of policy on algorithms for resource assignment in mission-oriented wireless sensor networks. We consider two forms of resource assignment: assigning specific sensors to tasks and allocating bandwidth to data sources. When assigning sensors to tasks we parameterize policy; i.e., we introduce variables and set their values to capture policy and influence our resource allocation within the framework of our algorithms. When allocating bandwidth, we enforce policy with hard constraints. We show the impact of policy in both cases using simulation.