This is why we OE

Back in 2019, I was hired by an IT staffing company as Senior Software Engineer for a remote 6-12 month contract that paid me $75/ hour. Pandemic hit and I was let go after 6 months on the job. Today, I received a phone call from the same IT staffing company, and I was offered a job on-site 6-12 month contract as Senior Software Engineer that pays $70 an hour. I explained the recruiter I did an identical job back in 2019 for $75 an hour, why are you offering me less money in 2024? Rent, houses, food, goods and services have gone up by more than 50% since 2019, why are you offering me a job that pays less than what I made in 2019? His answer: This is a great opportunity pal, do you want the job or not ? 🙄