Did a relative of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar named "Yosef Barron Omar" receive $18 million in government grants between 2021 and 2024? No, that's not true: That rumor started on a website that describes its output as satirical in nature. The name "Yosef Barron Omar" is a play on "Joe Barron", an in-joke from the self-described satire of the story's creator.
The false claim was presented as authentic and true in a May 10, 2025, post on X (archived here), which read:
Ilhan Omar's brother/husband received $18 million in government grants between 2021 and 2024.
According to FOIA, Yosef Barron Omar received the grants without applying for them, and with no expectation that he'd use the money for any specific thing.
In other words, he was likely paid off by the Biden Administration for keeping the fact that the couple shares a parent a secret.
DOGE is in the process of clawing back the 2024 installment. They've forwarded the file to the Justice Department for further review.
This is what it looked like at the time of writing:
(Source: X screenshot)
The story was false, and originated in a May 6 post on the website Dunning-Kruger Times, which describes its content as satirical in the following disclaimer:
Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined.
The name "Yosef Barron Omar" is an in-joke from the self-described satire of Christopher Blair, who created the network of websites and social media accounts of which Dunning-Kruger-Times forms a part. It is a play on "Joe Barron" -- a name used frequently in Blair's stories.
